




Class_fciiL.' L 


Book._ T f ' tC -‘ 

Copyright N°__ Vi. 


COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 











VINZI 

A STORY OF THE SWISS ALPS 


FOURTH IMPRESSION 


“ ^tortess Sill CljtlUreit Lobe ” 

A SET OF CHILDREN’S CLASSICS THAT SHOULD BE 
IN EVERY WINTER HOME AND SUMMER COTTAGE 


Vinzi 

By JOHANNA SPYRI 
Translated by ELISABETH P. STORK 

Mazli 

Bt JOHANNA SPYRI 
Translated by ELISABETH P. STORK 

Comelli 

Br JOHANNA SPYRI 
Translated by ELISABETH P. STORK 

A Child’s Garden of Verses 

Br ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON 

The Little Lame Prince and Other Stories 

By MISS MULOCK 

Gulliver’s Travels 

Bt JONATHAN SWIFT 

The Water Babies 

Bt CHARLES KINGSLEY 

Pinocchio 

Bt C. COLLODI 

Robinson Crusoe 

Bt DANIEL DEFOE 

Heidi By johanna spyri 

Translated by ELISABETH P. STORK 

The Cuckoo Clock 

By MRS. MOLESWORTH 

The Swiss Family Robinson 

Edited by G. E. MITTON 

The Princess and Curdie 

By GEORGE MACDONALD 

The Princess and the Goblin 

Bt GEORGE MACDONALD 

At the Back of the North Wind 

By GEORGE MACDONALD 

A Dog of Flanders Bt “OUIda': 
Bimbi By “ouida” 

Mopsa, the Fairy By jean ingelow 
Tales of Fairyland 

By FERGUS HUME 

Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales 

Each Volume Beautifully Illustrated in Color. Decorated Cloth. 
Other Books in This Set are in Preparation. 







WHEN VINZI SAT ON HIS THRESHOLD HE HAD A GREAT MANY 

THINGS TO THINK OVER 


Page 16 i 



VINZI 

A STORY OF THE SWISS ALPS 


BY 


JOHANNA SPYRI 

AUTHOR OF “HEIDI,” “MAZLI,” ETC. 


TRANSLATED BY 

ELISABETH P. STORK 


ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY 

MARIA L. KIRK 



PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON 
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 


1923 

















COPYRIGHT 1923, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 



PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY 
AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS 
PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A. 


DEC 19 ’23 

©C1A7GG401 


I 


FOREWORD 

The story of Vinzi is one of the freshest and 
most attractive to be found in modern literature, 
yielding not at all to the author’s better-known 
Heidi . It is sure to delight all children and as 
many of their elders as have retained their youth¬ 
ful sympathies. The revival of other stories by 
Madame Spyri has shown that her simple charm 
never fails to win an increasing audience, but in 
Vinzi her gift is positively at its best. In none of 
her books is the interest centered and sustained 
more perfectly. 

There are few things more enjoyable or 
profitable for children than to learn how children 
live In other countries. It stimulates their 
imaginations and enlarges their emotional powers 
in the healthiest manner possible. For this pur¬ 
pose the Swiss background of Madame Spyri’s 
books is particularly good, with its flood of sun¬ 
light over Alpine peaks and flowery meadows. 
And as the background, so the people; there is 
an unforced kindliness and heartiness in the 
characters that makes them lovable in a special 
way of their own. Their foibles and limitations 

5 


FOREWORD 


merely increase the genuineness of their appeal. 

Two themes are stressed in Vinzi, trust and 
the power of music. Both of these are timely to¬ 
day. We hardly need Monsieur Coue to tell us 
that a brave confidence in the future is one of the 
most valuable qualities of character, especially 
for a child. Philosophers, both theoretical and 
practical, dilate on the importance of freeing our¬ 
selves from fear and discouragement as early in 
life as possible. This is just what the story of 
Vinzi tends to do by presenting the small hero 
as a natural example of the well-known principle. 
No less practical is the influence of good music 
upon children, the value of which is just begin¬ 
ning to be properly recognized in school and home. 

But no moralizing ever interferes with the 
course of the narrative, which flows along with a 
delicate intuition as to suspense and climax. 
The boy Vinzi’s love of music and his father’s de¬ 
termination to make a farmer of him provide the 
central motive. It is noteworthy that the father, 
who with a less skilful author would be the villain 
of the tale, is never made to lose our respect. But 
the best feature of the book is the joyous life of 
the children, which occupies by far the most space. 

Madame Spyri’s panacea for the ills of life is an 

6 


FOREWORD 


old one, but it is doubtful whether anything better 
can be found than her combination, which is: 
Faith in God, active helpfulness toward all 
around, love of beauty, fresh mountain air, and 
good food. Surely so much happiness has seldom 
been packed within the covers of a children’s book 
as may be found in Vinzi. 

Charles Wharton Stork 


\ 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. In Leuk. 13 

II. On The Pasture . 31 

III. Unlooked-for Events. 53 

IV. A Departure and an Arrival. 75 

V. Banishment . 98 

VI. Higher Up The Mountain. 134 

VII. Still More Music .. 166 

VIII. Unexpected Happenings . 199 

IX. Surprises, But Not Only For Russli . 225 

X. Old Friends and New Life. 240 

XI. The Old Song Once More. 272 
























ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

When Vinzi Sat on His Threshold He Had a Great Many 
Things to Think Over. Frontispiece 

The Shiny Black Cow Was Going in Big Leaps Toward the 
Rushing Stream. 34 

Vinzi Stared at Her Fingers as if Her Playing Were a Miracle 48 

“What Will It Bo When It’s Finished?” Asked Russli. 121 

Vinzi, Taking Up His Pipe, Had Begun to Play a Melody.... 157 

“What Is It, Vinzi?” She Asked, Terribly Frightened on Hear¬ 
ing His Sobs and Groans. 209 

Stefeli Always Spread Out Their Lunch Under the Ash Tree 255 
Rich, Powerful Tones Floated Through the Quiet Church.... 285 










CHAPTER I 


IN LEUK 

T HE June sun was streaming down upon 
the green slope above the village of 
Leuk, and the fresh green grass which 
covered the heights as far as the eye could see 
filled the air with fragrance. At an isolated 
house along the path which led to the baths of 
Leuk, two women were lost in lively talk; indeed 
it seemed as if they could never come to the end 
of everything they had to say to each other. 

“Yes, Marianna,” said the more talkative of 
the two, “ if you could furnish a couple of rooms 
the way I did, you would soon realize a good 
profit. You could soon get boarders among the 
people who have relatives at the baths. You 
know some of them do not want to go there, or 
are not allowed to, just like the three who are 
staying with me. You really are a little too far 
down, for people like to go a little higher up in the 
summer. If only you were living where those 
people over there do. They certainly have the 
best spot on the slope and own all the very best 

13 


VINZI 


meadows. But I do not think much of them,” 
the woman concluded with an unfriendly glance 
toward the house which stood a little higher up 
and aw r ay from the road. “ They are nearly 
eaten up with pride, especially she, and you ought 
to see her.” 

“In what way do they show it?” Marianna 
asked. 

“ In what way? You might just as well ask 
in what way they don’t show it,” Magdalene re¬ 
plied quickly. “ They show it in everything. In 
everything they do and in the way they dress as 
if it were always Sunday with them. She has 
brought up the children to be just as particular 
as she is. The boy’s black hair is always curled 
as if he were going to the church fair and the little 
one always carries her nose high in the air as if 
she meant to say, e Watch out, here I come!’ ” 

“ How can the little one help it if her nose 
has grown that way?” was Marianna’s opinion. 
“ And the boy can’t help his curly hair either. 
Doesn’t the woman speak to you when you 
meet her?” 

“ Oh yes, she does, and I would not exactly 
advise her to let her pride go as far as that,” said 
Magdalene in a threatening manner, “ but you 

14 


IN LEUK 


are mistaken if you imagine that she ever stops 
a minute to say a few words to a neighbor. If one 
starts to talk with her, she just gives a short 
answer and hurries away as if she did not think 
one her equal. She can wait awhile before I ever 
say anything to her again.” 

Marianna looked at the house in question and 
exclaimed full of astonishment, “ How is that? 
As long as I can remember, the house over there 
looked old and gray, not a window was ever 
opened, and all the panes were dirty and dull 
from age. It looked like a robber’s den. Now it 
is snow-white and the windows shine in the sun. 
It can’t be the same house!” 

“ It certainly is! Now you can see how proud 
they are,” replied Magdalene eagerly. “ Old 
farmer Lesa lived there with his old housekeeper 
more than fifty years; all that time he did not 
hammer in a single nail, for he was satisfied with 
the way it had been in his father’s and his grand¬ 
father’s time. Just as soon as his eves were closed, 
his heir came across the Gemmi * and things 
were torn down, cleaned and renewed until one 
might think a comit was moving in. Of course 

* The Gemmi is a remarkable mountain pass across the A lps. 

15 




VINZI 


the woman was the cause of it all, for nothing 
that the parents had admired was good enough 
for 1 her.” 

“ But I should think that it was not unneces¬ 
sary to clean and straighten up a bit if the last 
owner had not fixed up a nail in the house for 
fifty years and had let things go as his father and 
grandfather had left them,” replied Marianna. 
“ The old house certainly was ugly, and how 
changed it is! Why did you say that his heir 
came from across the Gemmi? Are the Lesas not 
from our parts?” 

“ Yes, they are, and there are several of that 
name hereabouts,” replied Magdalene, “ but one 
of them is supposed to have married across the 
Gemmi and to have stayed there with his wife 
near Berne or Freiburg. But I only know this 
from hearsay, for it was either a hundred or two 
hundred years ago. When old Lesa died, it 
was found that his nearest relatives were the same 
we were talking of, so it happened that Vinzenz 
Lesa moved here with his wife and two children 
about two years ago. I heard that there too they 
have a fine house and a lot of cows, and that their 

pastures over there are very fine, as well as their 

16 


IN LEUK 


breed of cattle. I think Vinzenz’s brother now 
takes care of the other place. I do not know 
whether Vinzenz is going back there again when 
he has put everything here in good shape, nor 
whether he means to sell this place, for he does 
not say much.” 

“ Dear me, I must go,” Marianna exclaimed, 
quite startled when she heard the sound of a bell 
from the village below. “ I have to go up to the 
baths, and I must not get back too late, because 
my husband and the children don’t like to be kept 
waiting for supper. Where did old Lesa’s house¬ 
keeper go?” 

“ She was his cousin and died a short time 
after him,” Magdalene informed her. “ She had 
been with him fifty years and was well past 
seventy, so she could not very well have started 
on anything new. Look, there they come towards 
us across the meadow. Now you can see for 
yourself Lesa’s wife and her dressed-up children; 
just wait till she comes.” 

Marianna needed no further urging for she 
was curious to see the people they had 
been discussing. 

They were coming close, and one could see 

that the children had a great deal to tell their 

2 17 


VINZI 


mother. They talked to her steadily so that one 
might have thought the woman could not possibly 
see or hear anything else. As soon, however, as 
she reached the house where the two women had 
withdrawn a little into the open doorway, she 
greeted them pleasantly. The boy immediately 
pulled off his cap and the girl called out “ Good- 
day ” with a ringing voice. When they had gone 
a few steps further, their lively conversation 
began anew. 

“ I must say they look nice,” said Marianna, 
gazing after the group with visible satisfaction. 
“ I see no pride there, Magdalene, but neatness 
and cleanliness in the children as well as in the 
mother. Everything looks well on her and I 
wonder how she does it. She just wore what we 
do, only it looks better on her. Didn’t the boy’s 
black curls tumble out from his cap in a nice way! 
And I like the way the little one with the snub 
nose has her brown hair braided about her head. 
She looks as bright and happy as a little bird.” 

“ What else have you to say?” retorted 
Magdalene, slightly annoyed. 

“You are right; I should do better to go my 
way instead of idly talking,” said Marianna, get¬ 
ting ready to leave. “ It does one good to see 

18 


IN LEUK 


people who teach their children good manners 
and keep them as if they meant to make them 
into something decent. There are too many of the 
other kind, and one often wonders if it is possible 
to raise children to anything good. That woman 
has given me a mind to imitate her as far as I can, 
for Td like my children to look as nice and speak 
as politely as hers. I must go now. Do not take 
amiss anything I said. Good-bye, Magdalene.” 

Marianna set out now and hurried along to¬ 
wards the height. Mrs. Lesa, in the meantime 
climbed up the mountain slope with her children. 
They kept on talking steadily, sometimes the boy 
alone or the girl, and sometimes both at once. 

“ Just think, mother,” the boy informed her, 
“ the child is hardly any bigger than Stefeli. 
When we passed Mrs. Troll’s house yesterday 
evening we first saw her standing before the door, 
then she ran into the house and suddenly we 
heard the most beautiful music through the open 
window. I asked the brother who had stayed 
outside with a book what it was and he said, 

‘ Alida is playing the piano.’ Imagine, such a 
young child! I should have loved to listen a while, 
but I was afraid to, because Stefeli said that it 

was late and we had to go home.” 

19 


VINZI 


“ And so it was,” Stefeli affirmed. “ I should 
have loved to stay, too, but we had to go home. 
Don’t you remember, father was already at table 
when we came? I found out that the boy’s name 
is Hugo and that the crooked lady lives with them, 
because I heard Alida say to her brother, 
‘ I simply have to go in now, otherwise Fraulein 
will fetch me in and everything will go crooked.’ ” 

“ No, no, Stefeli, it was not meant that way,” 
said the mother. “ I don’t think the lady is 
crooked. The idea probably was that things 
would go crooked with Alida if she did not obey. 
Are not the children’s parents with them? ” 

“No I don’t think so, but I am not sure. 
What do you think, Vinzi? ” asked Stefeli, turn¬ 
ing toward her brother. 

He gave no answer. 

“ What makes you stare into the distance, 
Vinzi, and why don’t you answer?” now asked 
the mother. 

“Listen, mother, listen!” Vinzi replied in a 
low voice. “ Can you hear those beautiful soimds ?” 

The mother stood still. The wind was waft¬ 
ing up the sounds of an evening bell from the 
valley, which, as they reached the heights, faded 
away only to rise more loudly from far below. 

20 


IN LEUK 


The wind must have come straight from that 
direction, for one could hear them very plainly. 
Now the tones had died away. 

The mother’s glance rested on the boy with 
a mingled look of anxiety and surprise, while 
he was lost in listening. She remained quiet a 
while longer for Vinzi had not yet moved. He 
still seemed to listen eagerly to something he 
heard from far away, despite the fact that no more 
sounds reached her ear. 

“ Vinzi, can you hear us again now?” Stefeli 
asked, not in the least surprised at her 
brother’s ways. 

“ Yes,” he responded as if awakening from 
a dream. 

“ Is the lady who lives with Alida and Hugo 
really crooked?” asked Stefeli, for she was anx¬ 
ious to have that question cleared up. 

“Yes, perhaps,” the brother replied with a 
slightly abstracted air. 

But Stefeli did not tolerate such uncertainty. 

“If she is not crooked, she is straight, but 
you must not say perhaps,” she exclaimed, a little 
angry. “ We can easily go down right away to 
Mrs. Troll’s house, can’t we, mother, and then 
we’ll find out what the lady is like.” 

n 


VINZI 


“ No,” replied the mother, “ we shall certainly 
not go back to the house on account of that. It 
is, however, time to turn back, otherwise father 
will get home sooner than we do and that must 
not happen. We had better return the way we 
came, it is the shortest way. But, Stefeli, you 
must not think that we’ll stop at Mrs. Troll’s 
house till we see those people.” 

“ They may be sitting in front of the house,” 
said Stefeli, holding fast to her intention. 

As the mother turned back the little girl ran 
ahead; she wanted to see the house as soon as 
possible in order to discover anybody who might 
be sitting there. The question they had been dis¬ 
cussing was not however the only thing on her 
mind. Stefeli longed most of all to see the two 
strange children who had moved into the house 
and whom she had seen the evening before. 

Vinzi quietly wandered along at his mother’s 
side. He was not talkative any longer, but his 
mother was well accustomed to these changes in 
her boy. 

“Tell me, Vinzi,” she asked now, “ why did 
you keep on listening after the sound of the even¬ 
ing bells had died away? ” 

“ I could still hear them,” Vinzi answered. 

22 


IN LEUK 


“ I suddenly heard such a wonderful song, which 
came down from the hills; the black fir trees 
seemed to join in with a deep bass and through 
it all the bells were tinkling their sparkling 
melody. Oh, it was beautiful! If only I could 
repeat it!” 

“ Wasn’t it a song you have heard before? ” 
the mother asked sympathetically, seeking to 
understand. “ If you sang me part of it I might 
find out which song you mean and tell you the 
words of it.” 

“ No, no,” Vinzi remonstrated, “ it is no song 
I ever heard. The melodies were all entirely new. 
I still hear them but can’t repeat them.” 

Meditating deeply the mother remained 
silent, for she could not understand what Vinzi 
meant. She herself had always found much 
pleasure in music and singing. She had taught 
her children to sing as soon as they were able to 
talk, and her boy had always enjoyed their daily 
evening song. 

“ Come, Vinzi,” she said at last, “ let us sing 
a song now; then we’ll both feel happy again. 
Which one do you want to sing?” 

“ I don’t know, mother; if only I could sing 

the tune I hear,” he answered. 

23 


VINZI 


“ I suppose you have some music running in 
your head. Sing out and you can’t help enjoying 
it,” said the mother, starting up a song Vinzi 
knew well. 

At first he hesitated, but soon the well-known 
melody carried him along. His clear, sure voice 
joining hers, they finished the song before they 
reached Mrs. Troll’s cottage. Stefeli suddenly 
leaped forward from behind a tree, from which 
hidden spot she had watched the two children who 
were both sitting in front of the house with a book. 
It had not escaped Stefeli that Alida did not 
look much at her book and was constantly turn¬ 
ing her head from side to side to see what might 
be going on. Stefeli was dreadfully anxious to 
run over to Alida and start a friendship with her. 
But suddenly the governess, who was not crooked 
at all, but on the contrary very stiff and straight, 
came out of the house. This intimidated Stefeli 
so much she hid further and further behind the 
tree in order not to be discovered. Stefeli told 
her mother and brother of these things and was 
glad to have them by her side when passing the 
house, because the governess was still sitting 
there. When closer, all four children eagerly 

24 


IN LEUK 


examined each other, for they were very 
much interested. 

“ They are the same ones we saw yesterday,” 
Alida said with half-raised voice. “ I think I’ll 
go over and make their acquaintance.” 

“ Indeed you won’t Alida! We don’t 
even know who they are,” quickly replied 
the governess. 

Despite the fact that the words had been 
spoken under her breath, those who were passing 
had been able to hear them. 

“ She doesn’t want Alida to talk with us, did 
you hear it, mother?” said Stefeli when they had 
gone a little further. 

“ Yes, I did,” the mother replied. “It is 
lucky that you didn’t run over to them. You 
must never do it, Stefeli; do you hear?” 

“ Yes, but then we’ll never meet and Alida 
wanted to so much,” Stefeli said rebelliously. 

“You see, Stefeli, the governess probably 
has charge of the children’s education and is re¬ 
sponsible for what they do and with whom they 
play. They might hear and learn from others 
all kinds of things that they shouldn’t do,” the 
mother explained. “ Maybe Alida is a little like 
you, Stefeli, and likes to stick her little nose into 

25 


VINZI 


every opening and look through every hole in 
a hedge. That is probably why the governess 
has to watch her and choose her friends 
very carefully.” 

This made Stefeli more eager than ever to 
meet Alida and be her friend. 

“ I see father over there,” said Vinzi. “ We 
ought to hurry if we want to get home at the 
same time as he does.” 

This was the mother’s intention, and, walking 
fast, they joined the father not far from the 
house. Soon afterwards the little family sat 
down to supper in their comfortable room. 

The meal passed very quietly because the 
children knew that they had to be silent, and the 
parents themselves said little. As soon as the 
children had finished, Vinzi asked, “ Can we go 
out? ” As the request was readily granted, they 
hurried over to the barn, where many delightful 
corners could be found for playing hide and seek. 

It was a bright, warm June evening. Vinzenz 
Lesa had leisurely risen from the table, and go¬ 
ing out he lit his pipe and settled himself on the 
bench before the house. His wife soon after¬ 
wards came out and sat down, too. Now he grew 
talkative and told her of a visit he had made to 
an acquaintance of his in the valley whose 

26 


IN LEUK 


meadows, fields and cattle he had examined. He 
had compared his own property with what he 
saw, and when he had thoroughly looked every¬ 
thing over he could not help saying to himself, 
“ Yinzenz Lesa, you are blessed with a 
fine property.” 

“ Yes, we certainly ought to be grateful and 
I am sure we are,” said his wife. 

“ Yes, it is true,” he continued, “ but when¬ 
ever I am very happy about it and begin to plan 
how to improve and develop the farm it always 
seems as if some one were throwing an obstacle 
before my feet and keeping me from going 
further. I mean Vinzi. For whom should I do 
all of it if not for him, and what kind of a boy 
is he? He has no eyes in his head and shows not 
the slightest pleasure or interest in taking to 
pasture the most beautiful cows that can be 
found far and wide in the whole neighborhood. If 
I say to him, ‘ Just look what wonderful fodder 
is in this meadow! ’ he says ‘ yes ’ and stares into 
the distance so one can see that he has neither 
listened nor really looked at the meadow he is 
standing in. I am afraid there is something 
wrong with him.” 

“ No, no, Vinzenz, you must not say that,” 
his wife interrupted eagerly. “If Vinzi does not 

27 


VTNZI 


always listen and has his thoughts elsewhere and 
does not show the real pleasure he should have 
in farming, he has never done anything wrong. 
You must not say that.” 

“ I don’t say it,” the man went on, “ but what 
is wrong is wrong, and when a boy has no feeling 
for such meadows, fields and cows as we own, and 
everything connected with a farm, something 
must be wrong. But I am sure I don’t know how 
to help it.” 

“ He may yet change; just think how young 
he is!” said the wife comfortingly, though her 
secret anxiety about the boy had grown again 
that day during her stroll. She knew well enough 
that there was something about the boy difficult 
to understand and she also realized that his 
thoughts never were on the objects before him. 
Deeming it wise to change the subject, she talked 
about seeing the strangers who had taken the up¬ 
stairs rooms at Mrs. Troll’s cottage for the 
summer. She told him that the children had 
looked so nice that she would not mind taking 
them into her own home. This might easily be 
managed in their big house, where a few nice 
rooms could be fitted up for that purpose. 

“ Well, what on earth will you say next, and 

28 


IN LEUK 


can’t we even have peace in our own house?” said 
the man, half frightened, half angry. “ Why 
should we take other people’s children into our 
house when we have children of our own?” 

“If they are as nice as those we saw, and as 
well brought up, ours could only learn good 
things from them,” answered the woman. “ We 
all like to see our children clean and well-behaved 
rather than tumbling about like little pigs and 
using rough words.” 

“ Oh, well, all children have bad manners, and 
when they get too bad one can let them know. I 
know quite well what you are aiming at, but you 
might just as well give it up because there is no 
use,” the farmer said. “ I shall not tolerate 
strangers in the house. I mean to live by myself 
and I absolutely forbid the children to have any¬ 
thing to do with those city folks. Don’t let them 
go over there or our girl will soon become as 
spoilt as the boy. I am glad to say she is still dif¬ 
ferent from him. She runs after the cows and 
strokes them like friends and the young cattle 
run after her, eat from her hand and rub their 
heads against her like comrades. If one says 
anything, the child pays attention and minds her 
business and uses her own eyes besides. She 

knows exactly what is lacking in the barn or 

29 


VINZI 


stable and knows how everything should be. But 
the boy neither sees nor knows anything. It 
would be quite different if I could change those 
two around, make the girl into the boy, and the 
boy into the girl. But as long as things have to 
be as they are, I have no inclination to have her 
changed, too.” 

“ The way you talk, Vinzenz, one might think 
you consider it a sickness to be well brought up,” 
the woman replied calmly. “ But you need have 
no fears; a governess is looking after those 
children who is going to see to it that hers don’t 
come near ours. It is late, we had better go 
in now.” 

At the same time she called to the children to 
sing their daily evening song. As soon as they 
arrived the mother began, and both joined in with 
clear, sure voices. They knew the song well and 
each apparently had a good ear for music. Even 
as little children they had been able to repeat the 
mother’s songs correctly. As the beautiful 
melody was resounding through the calm, peace¬ 
ful evening air, father Vinzenz regained his usual 
composure, which had been so disturbed that day 
by anxious thoughts and fears. 


CHAPTER II 


ON THE PASTURE 

T HE children had no school during the 
summer months because at that time 
they were all needed for light tasks in 
the fields and meadows. School began again late 
in the autumn. 

On Monday morning the sun had only just 
flushed the tops of the mountains before rising 
above the wooded heights, when, early as it was, 
Stefeli, already neatly washed and dressed, 
rushed into Vinzi’s little chamber. She found 
him still fast asleep. 

“ Wake up, Vinzi,” she cried out. “ The man 
has just brought back the cows from the pond 
and as soon as we have had breakfast, father 
wants us to go up to the pasture to watch them. 
The man has to come back when we get there. 
We’ll take lunch with us and stay all day long 
because it’s too far to come all the way home. 
Won’t we have fun eating out of doors? 
Please hurry.” 

Vinzi had awakened meanwhile. When he 

31 


VINZI 


gazed at his sister with his large dark eyes he still 
seemed lost in revery. 

“ Oh, I had such a wonderful dream,” he said. 
“ Mother and I were in Litten, the place we went 
to last year. We went to church together and 
everything was exactly as we had seen it then. 
An organ was playing the most beautiful piece 
and it was more wonderful than I could tell you. 
Do you know what an organ sounds like?” 

“ Oh, Vinzi, you must come now. Please 
hurry up and don’t talk about an organ now,” 
Stefeli urged. “ Mother has already taken in the 
coffee and father is having breakfast. You 
know we won’t have any fun if father gets cross. 
Do hurry up.” 

With these words Stefeli ran away. 

Vinzi had realized the truth of his sister’s 
words. He quickly jumped out of bed and com¬ 
pleted his necessary toilet. Soon he stood in the 
room ready to start off. Pie speedily swallowed 
his milk and coffee and stuck the bread into his 
pocket, before the three others had half finished 
theirs. The father, looking at the boy, thought 
to himself, “ He can hurry if he wants to. Per¬ 
haps something can still be done with him.” The 
mother had packed the children’s lunch neatly 


ON THE PASTURE 


into a bag, which she hung around Vinzi’s 
shoulder. Stefeli now came skipping along with 
a straw hat on her head and in her hand a rod 
which Vinzi had cut for her. This she used for 
gently urging the cows ahead whenever they 
needed it, but she never beat them. When the 
children went out, followed by the parents, Vinzi 
discovered that he had left his whip in the barn. 
All cow-herds carried one in order just for fun 
to flick it sharply from time to time. A sound 
like thunder would re-echo from the mountains 
roundabout. As Vinzi did not care for this pas¬ 
time with the whip he regularly forgot where he 
had put it. While he hunted about uncertainly 
his father began to frown. But suddenly, in leaps 
and bounds, his sister, who had noticed where he 
had left it, appeared with the whip. 

At last the children started off. “ Keep the 
cows from going across the stream, Vinzi,” the 
father called after them. 

“ Take care not to go too near the rushing 
stream yourselves,” was the mother’s last 
reminder. 

“ Yes, yes,” the children called back gaily, as 
they hurried along towards the mountain pasture. 
As soon as they arrived Stefeli began to shout 
3 33 


VINZI 


violently. She had not forgotten that their man 
was to return to the farm as soon as they had 
arrived to take charge of the cows. He did not 
hear for quite a while because he happened to be 
on the other side of the roaring stream. Stefeli, 
however, did not give up till he had heard and 
understood her cries. He then hurried away. 

“ We have to see that the cows stay on our own 
pasture and that Schwarzeli does not jump about 
too much, for if she doesn’t eat she’ll get thin,” 
said Stefeli. “ Come, Vinzi, let’s sit down over 
there under the tree; for if we leave our bag in 
the sun, the bread will get dry.” 

Vinzi, who had already settled down, got up. 
He followed Stefeli, watching her while she care¬ 
fully laid their provisions in the shadow of the 
broadest branches. Then they both sat down in 
the cool shade under the spreading tree where 
earlier the ground had been thoroughly dried by 
the sun. 

The fresh morning wind was soughing through 
the branches and blowing over the pasture far 
and wide till its roaring was finally lost in the 
distance. Suddenly Stefeli bounded up and shot 
away like an arrow. With tail raised high the 
shiny black cow was going in big leaps towards 

34 



THE SHINY BLACK COW WAS GOING IN BIG LEAPS TOWARD 

THE RUSHING STREAM 






ON THE PASTURE 


the rushing stream. “ Schwarzeli, Schwarzeli,” 
the child called repeatedly, “ Schwarzeli, please 
wait for me!” But the high-spirited animal only 
jumped higher and had nearly reached the 
stream. “ She will drown if she jumps in,” 
thought Stefeli, terribly frightened. By that 
time they had come to the dangerous place of 
which the mother had warned her. “ Schwarzeli!” 
the child called once more with so much authority 
in her excited voice that far and wide her echo 
repeated, “ Schwarzeli, Schwarzeli!” 

Suddenly the fugitive stood still and turned 
around, while Stefeli rushed breathlessly towards 
the young heifer, who was quietly awaiting the 
arrival of her mistress. 

“ You are a bad Schwarzeli to scare me so,” 
Stefeli exclaimed, firmly grasping the rope about 
Schwarzeli’s neck, on which a little bell was 
fastened. “Just wait! If you go on like this 
I certainly won’t bring you any more salt to lick. 
You know you love it as if it were good sugar!” 
Schwarzeli was tenderly rubbing her head on 
Stefeli’s shoulder now as if to say, “ I meant 
no harm, but it is such fun to caper across 
the meadow.” 

“ Yes, yes,” Stefeli answered, as if she had 

35 


VINZI 


understood everything Schwarzeli had been try¬ 
ing to express, “ you want me to forgive you now, 
but stop running towards the stream. You can 
run towards the other side all you want. Oh, I 
see, you think it more fun to run downhill than 
uphill. I know. Come along with me.” 

As the two wandered peacefully back to the 
place which was meant to be the pasture of the 
day, Vinzi met them half way. Quite surprised, 
he asked, “ But Stefeli, why did you run away? 
It was so nice under the tree. I was hearing the 
most beautiful music. I was just going to ask 
you if you heard it too, when I found you were 
gone. Only then I saw you coming back 
with Schwarzeli.” 

Despite being used to her brother’s ways, 
Stefeli could not help being astonished that he 
had not been aware of what was going on. She 
told him about the chase and her great fear that 
Schwarzeli might gallop straight towards the 
stream, fall down the banks and drown. It was 
lucky that the little beast had suddenly become 
manageable. Stefeli was eager to know what 
Vinzi had heard in the meanwhile. 

“ Oh, it is such a shame you did not hear it,” 

he said, “for one can hardly describe such music. 

36 


ON THE PASTURE 


A chorus of deep, strong voices was rising from 
the tree above me and floating far across the 
meadow. Then high, clear voices joined in and 
were lost in the distance till they resembled the 
sounds of waters far away. Oh, it was so beauti¬ 
ful. Come, we might still hear it if we go back.” 

“ Go now, Schwarzeli, and behave yourself,” 
said Stefeli, letting go of the rope by which she 
had held the heifer. Then she followed Vinzi. 

But she had scarcely settled down beside Vinzi 
when both jumped up again. They noticed simul¬ 
taneously that the brown cow had strolled as far 
as a fence which formed the boundary between 
their own and another pasture. In order to get 
through she was pushing hard against the boards. 
Soon the children had fetched her back and the 
cow was slowly wandering to the proper field. 
Stefeli discovered an especially inviting spot 
where fragrant mountain pinks were nodding in 
the grass. “ Come, Vinzi, we’ll stay here. I am 
sure we couldn’t possibly hear the tunes any 
more.” To this Vinzi gladly assented. A great 
peace enveloped the heights, and the cows 
were quietly wandering about. Schwarzeli was 

usually either at the head or the rear of them, but 

37 


VINZI 


she gave no more disorderly leaps. Only when 
changing ground she trotted about a bit. 

The children looked with happy faces at the 
lovely scene before them. After enjoying it 
silently for a while, Stefeli said, cc I should just 
love to be a cow-herd all my life. Would you like 
it, too, Vinzi? ” 

“ No, I should not like it,” was his answer. 

“ But why not? ” Stefeli questioned a little re¬ 
proachfully. “ It couldn’t anywhere be more 
beautiful than here.” 

“ Yes, that’s true,” Vinzi admitted, “ but I 
should not like to take care of cows all my 
life. I should like another profession better than 
watching them and keeping them from run¬ 
ning away.” 

“ What would you rather do? ” Stefeli wanted 
to know. 

After meditating a little Vinzi answered, “ I 
don’t know what the profession is in which I could 
do what I like best of all.” 

“ What do you like to do best? I never saw 
you do it, I think,” Stefeli said, quite surprised 
that she should not know. 

“ I like above all to listen to the bells and all 
the sounds in the branches of the trees. Also 

38 


ON THE PASTURE 


those that drift down from the mountains on all 
sides. Can you hear how it seems to sing every¬ 
where about us? Can you hear it? ” Vinzi’s eyes 
grew more large and gleaming while he listened. 

Stefeli pricked up her ears. “ Those are only 
the gnats,” she said in a slightly disdainful voice. 

But Vinzi, continued: “When I hear such 
beautiful sounds I always try to remember them 
so that I can sing them or imitate them. I wonder 
how I could do it.” 

“ But that couldn’t be a real profession,” 
Stefeli interrupted him. 

“ That’s what I am afraid of, too,” Vinzi ad¬ 
mitted, quite discouraged, “ but I can’t help 
thinking about it all the time. I have cut so many 
pipes and have tried out what one can play on 
them. I already have made five; on one I can 
blow very deep, and on another very high tones, 
and the others can play middle tones. I was just 
puzzling out how to play two or three at the same 
time, so that they could all sound at once like the 
church bells.” 

“You might become a piper,” Stefeli ex¬ 
claimed, quite happy over her inspiration, “ that 
might be quite a good profession.” 

“ I don’t know,” Vinzi replied uncertainly. 

39 


VINZI 


“ Father would surely not let me, even if I could. 
He found my pipes in the barn one day and 
threw them all away. He told me to think of 
useful things instead of collecting pipes and 
thinking about such rubbish.” Poor Vinzi was 
quite depressed at those memories and it smote 
Stefeli’s heart. 

“You mustn’t get sad on account of that, 
Vinzi,” she said comfortingly. “ I am sure father 
just meant you not to have the pipes at home in 
the barn and stable. But why shouldn’t you have 
them up here in the pasture and think about them. 
I can easily watch and call out when I need you. 
Then you can go on cutting your pipes and we can 
put them into a hole under a tree and take them 
out when we are up here. I could help you blow 
them. I’ll blow the high one and you can play 
the low one and they’ll sound together like 
the bells.” 

But these words failed to give Vinzi thorough 
consolation. He kept sadly staring at the ground 
before him and saying nothing more. 

“ Let’s talk about something else, now,” his 
sister said decidedly, for she did not like the effect 
their conversation had had on Vinzi. But before 
another subject was begun Stefeli started up 

40 


ON THE PASTURE 


violently, and calling her brother, flew away. 
Vinzi, glancing up, ran after her toward a party 
of strangers, who had been going over a narrow 
wooden bridge which led across the stream, when 
a little dog belonging to them suddenly darted 
into the midst of the cows and yelping loudly, 
drove them in every direction. The scared 
animals rushed hither and thither in their fright, 
and Schwarzeli, with her tail raised high, was 
galloping to and fro. This urged the dog to 
still more furious onslaughts. Stefeli rushed 
after the cows to quiet them, while Yinzi, going 
straight up to the dog, applied liis whip so vigor¬ 
ously that the animal turned about and ran whin¬ 
ing after the party. All this had proved to be 
such hot work that the children sought together 
the welcome shade under the big tree and flung 
themselves down there. They felt in need of re¬ 
gaining their breath and cooling off under the 
deliciously swaying branches. The cows also 
were peaceful again. 

“ I wish the dog had been on the side where the 
path leads up to the pasture,” Vinzi said now, 
sitting up. “I saw the most brilliant red flower 
there and it looked perfectly enormous, even from 
where I was. I never saw a bigger one; I’d run 

41 


VINZI 


down to get it if it were not so far away. It is 
getting very ho.t.” 

“ Oh, I can find it,” Stefeli said with determi¬ 
nation. “ If the flower is so wonderful I won’t 
mind going so far.” 

Vinzi was just going to declare himself willing 
to fetch the flower for Stefeli, when the latter 
sped away so fast that the boy could not possibly 
have caught up with her. Therefore he stayed 
seated and as the noon-day bell was ringing in the 
village below, he forgot everything else in listen¬ 
ing to its sounds. 

“ Here is your flower,” a voice suddenly said 
beside him as Stefeli laid a brilliant red cloth 
before her brother. Having been lost in deep 
thoughts he had not noticed how the time had 
passed and he could not wonder enough at 
Stefeli’s speedy return. He meditatively looked 
at what he had imagined to be a flower. It had 
the same deep red the flower had had, but he could 
not help wondering where he had seen that cloth 
before. “ Oh, I know now,” he exclaimed sud¬ 
denly, “ I saw it on the chair near Mrs. Troll’s 

• 

house where the little girl was. It must belong 
to her.” 

Stefeli also remembered having seen a red ob- 

42 


ON THE PASTURE 

ject there and besides that she had seen some 
children in the party near the bridge. They must 
have been the same children. Vinzi began to 
consider what to do with the cloth, and as it was 
best to immediately return to the owner whatever 
was found, he wanted to run right over to Mrs. 
Troll’s house and take it along. But Stefeli 
would not hear of this, because dinner time had 
come for everyone and there was plenty of time 
in which to do it later. As soon as Stefeli men¬ 
tioned lunch, Vinzi suddenly felt how immensely 
hungry he was and saw that his sister was right. 
He set to work and gathering thin, dry sticks 
from under the tree, built a little fire and lit it. 
As the wood was very dry, the flames leaped up 
gaily. Stefeli had transformed the grassy ground 
into an appetizing dinner table, set with two large 
slices of buttered bread and two snow white eggs 
which their mother had cooked at home, and 
which only needed peeling. Stefeli brought the 
bag near the fire and only waited for the right 
moment when the wood had burnt low to put the 
clean round potatoes one after another into the 
coals. Soon they smoked and sizzled so invit¬ 
ingly that the children were glad when, with a 
willow stick, they could lift them out of the glow- 

43 


VINZI 


ing ashes. As soon as the potatoes had cooled off 
a bit, the children heartily bit into them and ate 
them all, including the firmly-baked crust, which 
was really the best part. They did not despise the 
rest of their lunch, and Vinzi attacked his bread 
and butter vigorously, while Stefeli heartily en¬ 
joyed her egg. All morning the cows had been 
pasturing busily, so the time had come for them 
also to rest a bit. One after the other they lay down 
on a fine, sunny spot. Even Schwarzeli had 
settled down, but her little black head moved from 
side to side in a lively manner which showed that 
one could not yet quite trust her to be quiet. 

The children had neatly cleaned up their place 
under the tree, for egg-shells and scraps of paper 
were not to be left on the fine green carpet 
of their living room. Looking out over the 
pasture, they were happily enjoying the deep 
peace about them. 

“ I might take the shawl back now,” said Vinzi 
after a while. “ Don’t you think the cows will 
stay quiet till I come back? ” 

“ Yes, I think so,” Stefeli replied. “ The big 
ones are sure to lie down for a while, and if 
Schwarzeli begins to jump about and wants to 
run towards the stream, I can lure her here. I 

44 


ON THE PASTURE 


kept the salt mother gave us for our eggs, we 
both took none and Schwarzeli just loves it.” 

Vinzi took up the red shawl which Stefeli had 
neatly folded up and ran away. Despite his 
speed it was a good quarter of an hour before 
he stood in front of Mrs. Troll’s house. The 
front door was open and everything in the 
house was still. Somebody was apparently hoe¬ 
ing in the garden, it was probably Mrs. Troll 
herself. Suddenly, however, quite different 
sounds drew the boy irresistibly up the stairs. 
Through a half-open door quite near at hand he 
caught a delightful, gay melody. Walking up 
close he laid his ear on the door to listen. But as 
Vinzi, in his desire to hear, had strongly pushed 
his head against it, it suddenly flew wide open. 
As soon as the little musician, who was sitting on 
a high stool before the instrument, saw Vinzi, she 
sprang up and went to him. 

“ Oh, did you find my shawl? How quickly 
you have brought it back! ” she called out, spying 
the shawl in Vinzi’s hand. “ It’s lucky for me 
because Miss Landrat has already scolded me for 
losing it. As punishment for my carelessness I 
was to go all the way back where papa and the 

other gentleman took us this morning. I was to 

45 


VINZI 



look for it, but as it was so far she refused to go 
along. I’ll give you some reward for finding it. 
What would you like to have? ” 

Yinzi was still gazing full of surprise at the 
wonder-child, who had played such gorgeous 
music and was now talking to him exactly as if 
she had known him a long, long time. Hesitating 
with his answer, he finally asked a little shyly, 
“ Can I really say what I want? ” 

“ Certainly,” his new acquaintance replied 
firmly. “ But you know,” she continued, “ only 
ask for something I can really give you, not per¬ 
haps a boat or a real, live horse.” 

“ Oh, no, I don’t mean anything like that. I 
only want to hear the music again.” 

“ The music? Ho you mean the piece I was 
playing when you came in? But I don’t call that 
a present. What is your name? ” the girl sud¬ 
denly changed her line of thought. 

“ Yinzi,” he informed her. 

“Is it? My name is Alida Thomau,” she 
continued. “ When I have to practice I find it 
so dreadfully tiresome that I always play a 
little piece between whiles. Ho you have to 
practice, too? ” 

“ What is practicing? ” asked Yinzi. 

46 


ON THE PASTURE 


“ Oh, you are lucky if you don’t know what 
that is,” Alida exclaimed. “You see, practic¬ 
ing is sitting still on a round stool and playing up 
and down on a piano with your hands. This is 
called playing scales, and repeating the same 
tones about thirty times to and fro is called 
finger practice.” 

“ Why do you have to practice? ” asked Vinzi, 
wondering deeply. 

“ Because one has to obey,” replied Alida, 
“ and I have to practice every day from two to 
three o’clock because Miss Landrat tells me to. I 
have no lessons here the way I have in Hamburg. 
Every time father comes down here I have to 
promise him to obey Miss Landrat. He is up at 
the baths with my mother because she is ill.” 

“ How did you learn to play that beautiful 
piece? ” Vinzi inquired, following all her infor¬ 
mation with great interest. 

“ Oh, one can easily do that when one prac¬ 
tices so much and knows the notes. All one has 
to do is to play the notes that are written there,” 
was Alida’s explanation. 

“ Oh, you are lucky to be allowed to practice 
so much,” said Vinzi, gazing at the piano 
with such an expression of longing that 

47 


VINZI 


Alida suddenly remembered the reward he had 
been promised. 

“ I’ll play you the piece now,” she said. 
“ Shut the door and come near to me so that you 
can hear it well.” 

Vinzi obeyed and expectantly posted himself 
behind the piano stool. 

With an eagerness never before exhibited, 
Alida played her Spring Song through, never 
once stopping or hesitating till she came to the 
end. Never had such a thing happened before! 
To have such a keen listener had made her able 
to perform unusually well. 

Vinzi stared at her fingers as if her playing 
were a miracle. In a mirror which hung over the 
piano Alida had seen how breathlessly he fol¬ 
lowed her. This pleased her and when she had 
finished the piece she began it all over again. In 
the midst of it she suddenly seemed to be struck 
by a new idea. She paused abruptly and turning 
about on her chair she asked, “ Would you like to 
learn how to play the piano? ” 

Vinzi’s eyes sparkled, but only for a moment; 
in the next he looked at the floor saying sadly, 
“ Oh, I never could do it.” 

“ Oh, yes, you could easily,” replied Alida 

48 



VINZI STARED AT HER FINGERS AS IF HER PLAYING WERE A MIRACLE 

















ON THE PASTURE 


with conviction. “ I can teach you and you’ll 
soon know all I know. You can practice with 
me and that will be heaps more fun than to sit 
and play here all alone. You can play a little 
piece like the one you like so much. It won’t 
take you long. Do you want to? ” 

Vinzi’s eyes had grown bigger and bigger 
with surprise and longing. The incomprehen¬ 
sible joy of playing music like that himself, lay 
suddenly before him. All he had to do was to say 
yes. Everything was to be so easy and perfectly 
natural. He could not believe that he might be 
granted such happiness. 

But his great inner emotion kept him from 
uttering a sound. 

“Why don’t you say yes? I am sure you 
must want to if you like it so much,” Alida said 
with slight impatience. “ You can come here 
every day at two o’clock because Miss Landrat 
always takes a walk with Hugo at that time. I 
am supposed to practice till three and sometimes 
even longer if they happen to be away. Then 
we’ll be quite alone and I can teach you every¬ 
thing. We can either play together or take turns.” 

When Vinzi saw it so clearly put before him 
it seemed at last possible. With a voice clearly 
4 49 


VINZI 


showing his delight he said, “ There is nothing I 
should love better in this world.” 

“ So now it’s all settled that you come to me 
tomorrow,” said Alida with satisfaction, “ or do 
you want to begin today? ” 

However anxious Yinzi was to do so, he real¬ 
ized that he had already stayed away from Stefeli 
long enough. But he gladly gave his promise to 
come the next day, if nothing prevented him from 
doing so. He could hardly yet believe his good 
fortune, but Alida’s sureness about the matter 
proved catching and he ran away in high glee. 
The thought of what Stefeli would say to the plan 
chiefly occupied his mind, as he ran along. 
Maybe she would refuse to be left alone each 
day and perhaps she would think their father 
might be angry if he knew. Therefore he still 
felt slightly uncertain. 

When he reached the pasture he found every¬ 
thing in perfect order. The cows were lying on 
the self-same spots and Schwarzeli was wander¬ 
ing quietly about. He ran to Stefeli, who sat 
under a tree singing a song. 

“ What a long time you have been away,” 
said Stefeli, interrupting her song. “ What did 
she say? ” 


50 


ON THE PASTURE 


Vinzi, sitting down beside his sister, began to 
relate what had happened. She heard of the 
joyous prospect Alida had offered him, namely, 
to go to her an hour every day to practice. But 
he had not yet accepted because he did not know 
what Stefeli would say to being left alone for a 
whole hour every day. 

Stefeli pondered for a moment. “ You can 
easily do it, Vinzi,” she said eagerly. “ I know 
that it will please you more than anything.” 

“ Oh, yes, I know it, too,” said Vinzi with 
gleaming eyes. “ Don’t you think that there 
won’t be much trouble with the cows at that time ? 
They are still quiet.” 

“ There won’t be any,” Stefeli reassured him. 
“ All the time you were gone they lay still and 
looked around. Schwarzeli just walked about 
and it is like this every afternoon.” 

Vinzi had known it well, but was glad to have 
Stefeli’s confirmation. Vinzi’s new prospect had 
made the children talkative, and they discussed 
the coming events and their possible conse¬ 
quences. They could talk without any inter¬ 
ruption, for the cows were feeding quietly again, 
as they were supposed to do. All at once the 
sound of horns could be heard from different 

51 


VINZI 


sides, warning them that the time had come to 
drive the cattle home to be milked. 

Vinzi leaped up with surprise when he realized 
how quickly the evening had come. Stefeli took 
the bag on her arm and her stick in her hand and 
fetched Schwarzeli from where she was wander¬ 
ing about. Vinzi whistled and called his cows 
together and before long the children were on 
their way home with the little herd. The father 
was already waiting for them near the stable. On 
the days when the children had to go to the 
pasture with the cows their work was done for the 
day when they came home. As soon as their 
father returned from the stable they had supper, 
and soon after, when the mother had finished her 
tasks in the kitchen, she sat down to sing with 
them; after this they went to bed, and gladly, too, 
knowing that next morning another early start 
had to be made. 


CHAPTER III 
UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 


A S soon as Vinzi was awake next morning he 
wished it were two o’clock right away, for 
he simply dreaded the long morning he 
had to live through before his lesson. But it went 
by much more quickly than he expected. A lot 
of running about had been necessary to keep the 
cows together, as they were always very lively at 
that time. 

When lunch was over and the cows had settled 
down to rest, Vinzi looked steadily towards the 
mountains. Suddenly rising from the ground 
he said, “ It must be two o’clock now. Yesterday 
the sun was just above that rocky peak when I 
got back. In an hour it will be above the peak.” 

“ Yes, Vinzi. The sooner you go the sooner 
you’ll be back. I want to hear all about it,” 
said Stefeli. 

Vinzi lost no time. As he was climbing up 
the steps at Mrs. Troll’s he found Alida waiting 
for him. “ You came at just the right time,” she 
called to him; “ they are both away and we’ll 

53 


VINZI 


be entirely alone. You must always come at 
this time.” 

When Vinzi entered the room he glanced 
quickly at the clock. “ I know exactly how high 
the sun must be when I leave,” he said with satis¬ 
faction. 4c It is just ten minutes after two.” 

“ Let’s start in now,” Alida proposed. 
“ First, I’ll tell you what the notes are called, and 
next, which of the keys one has to play on. After 
that you can begin.” 

She took up a little sheet of music and began 
to teach him. As Alida did not care to linger long 
over anything her instruction was rather hurried. 
But Vinzi had so attentively followed every word 
and had comprehended her so quickly, that his 
teacher proceeded as rapidly as she had wished. 

“I’ll show you the keys now. As soon as you 
play a bit you’ll get to know the notes better,” she 
said. Beading the notes to him had begun to 
seem extremely tiresome. 

As she taught him the keys, Alida played 
them too in order to make the lesson more vivid. 

Vinzi could not help wondering profoundly. 

“ How is the music made?” he asked suddenly. 

“ It is already made and printed in the book, 

54 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 


from which we can read and play it,” answered 
Alida. 

“ But hasn’t somebody made it up before 
others can play it? ” asked Vinzi modestly. 
“Don’t you think that one could write down 
tunes one hears inside one’s head, if one only 
knew how? Then one could play it all on 
the piano.” 

“ But that’s not a bit necessary. I am quite 
sure that enough music has been written already,” 
Alida said, glancing with a deep sigh at the large 
book in which were printed all the exercises she 
had to learn. 

Vinzi was also looking at it, absolutely ab¬ 
sorbed. The large black dots seemed to him 
nothing short of a miracle. 

“ Now I’ll play you the little piece you liked 
so much,” Alida continued. “ Soon you’ll be able 
to play it, too. It is awfully easy.” 

Vinzi’s eyes glowed as he listened. He drank 
it in with all his senses. 

Just as Alida had reached the end the black- 
forest clock on the wall struck three. 

“ The lesson is over, but come again to¬ 
morrow,” said Alida jumping up from her chair. 

Shaking hands, Vinzi quickly hurried away. 

55 


VINZI 


Three days passed in the same way. Vinzi 
proved such an apt pupil that his teacher could 
not help wondering at his progress. He had 
played the little piece through once, for he knew 
it by heart. Reading the notes still gave him 
trouble. When he had played it only with his 
index finger, Alida was much shocked. She for¬ 
bade him ever to play that way again. No human 
being played like that, she said, for all five fingers 
of the hand were meant to be used in playing. 
But it had seemed a much easier way to Vinzi. 
In the end he saw how much better her way was 
as it was too difficult for the left hand to 
move quickly. 

Vinzi was grateful for being sent to the 
pasture every day. It would have been hard for 
him to work with his father in the bam or stable, 
because his thoughts were so completely filled 
with his new studies that it always took him a 
moment to comprehend what people were saying 
to him. Once in a while when his father had 
needed him for little tasks he had shaken his head. 
“ Well, where is your head nowadays, boy?” he 
had said as he sent him off. 

The day had come for the fourth lesson. In 
happy anticipation Vinzi had been running and 

56 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 


was already half way up the stairs, when a sharp 
voice called to him from below, “ Hey there, what 
does this mean? Come straight down, you for¬ 
ward boy/’ 

“ I am only going up to Alida,” said Vinzi a 
little frightened. 

“ What, to Alida? You know no Alida here, 
and she does not know you, either,” Mrs. Troll 
cried out indignantly. “ Come down this minute 
or I’ll fetch you down myself in a way you won’t 
like at all.” 

Vinzi went down the stairs obediently, but 
not without calling out with all his might, “ Alida, 
I am not allowed to come to you. But I want 
you to know that I was here.” 

“ What are you saying?” said the woman 
furiously. “ I see, you meant to fool me and 
make me think that you know the little girl whose 
name you happened to hear once? Look, here is 
the door.” 

But Alida, who had heard him, now came run¬ 
ning down. 

“ Why do you send Vinzi away? He came 
to see me,” she said in a superior tone. 

“ Oh, I see, the matter was arranged before¬ 
hand,” said Mrs. Troll, but she used quite a dif- 

57 


VINZI 


ferent tone of voice now. “ Does Miss Landrat 
know that he was expected? ” 

“ No, but I know,” Alida answered 
obstinately. 

“ If we tell Miss Landrat the matter will be 
settled,” Mrs. Troll said with a shade of sarcasm. 
“ Eut the best he can do now is to go where 
he belongs.” 

Vinzi couldn’t help agreeing to that. Giving 
Alida his hand, he went sadly away with the con¬ 
viction that everything was now over. Alida 
was filled with rage that the woman should be 
allowed to send her dear friend awav like that. 

“I’ll tell father everything,” she cried out 
passionately, “ and he won’t have Vinzi treated 
that way again.” Her anger giving her wings, 
she flew up the stairs. 

As soon as Mrs. Troll saw Miss Landrat ap¬ 
proaching with Hugo she went out quickly and 
gave a thorough report of what had happened. 
“ It is quite evident that the boy has been 
here before,” she concluded her tale excitedly. 
“ Everything was planned, for he shot up the 
stairs as if he were perfectly at home here. The 
girl was apparently waiting for him upstairs.” 

The governess was simply petrified. 

58 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 


“ How could Alida presume to do such a 
thing? The idea of making friends with a cow¬ 
herd whose father we know nothing about,” she 
cried out with indignation. “ I’ll have to tell 
her parents.” 

“It might be the boy who found her shawl,” 
said Hugo, who had kept quiet till then. “We 
saw him on Sunday with his sister. He looked 
very nice, and I don’t see why Alida shouldn’t 
be friends with him.” 

Miss Landrat had no words left to show her 
disapproval; turning about she went up the 
stairs. Hugo followed. 

“ Who came here while we were gone?” asked 
the governess, throwing open the door. 

“ Vinzi,” replied Alida. 

“ If that is the boy’s name who was here, I 
should like to know what brought him here,” con¬ 
tinued the lady in great agitation. 

“ He came to take a music lesson,” was the 
answer. 

“Do you think I am joking, Alida,” said 
Miss Landrat, still more furious. 

“No, I don’t think so,” replied the girl. 

“ Will you please give me a sensible answer! ” 

59 


VINZI 


exclaimed the governess. “ Why did it ever occur 
to you to ask the boy here ? What did he want ? ” 

“He wanted his music lesson,” replied Alida, 
as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 

“ Eut why don’t you tell me who wanted to 
give him a music lesson,” Hugo interposed. 

“ I was to give it,” Alida replied seriously. 

Hugo exploded with laughter. 

“ Didn’t he laugh at the idea of your giving 
him a music lesson? ” he asked. 

“ No, he was very attentive,” said Alida. 

“ This is enough! ” exclaimed the governess 
angrily. “ Do not ask anything more, Hugo. 
Alida is wrong if she thinks it funny to invent 
such rubbish. “ I shall write to your papa at 
once. But before everything else I’ll—” with 
this she left the room. 

Hugo renewed his examination now. He 
heard to his great amusement that she had given 
Yinzi several lessons and that he had already 
learned much. Alida also wanted her brother to 
know that she fully meant to tell her papa how 
Yinzi had been treated by Mrs. Troll. 

In the meantime Miss Landrat had sought 

out Mrs. Troll. She told her to send Yinzi away 

60 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 

if he ever should venture near the house again, 
and roundly to forbid him entering it. 

The same evening Vinzi’s father passed Mrs. 
Troll s house as he cut across the field on his way 
home. As she happened to be in her garden at 
the time she called out to him. “ITey there! 
neighbor Lesa, I have something to say to you.” 

He approached. 

“ I wonder,” she continued, “ if it would not 
be better for your boy if he had something to do, 
instead of running into other people’s houses and 
getting into mischief.” 

“ What do you mean, neighbor? ” asked 
Lesa, pressing his lips together. 

“ You ask what I mean? Well, your boy has 
been here several times to amuse the little girl 
who boards here. They play music together and 
such stuff,” said Mrs. Troll. “ But the governess 
won’t hear of it and the boy must stay where he 
belongs from now on.” 

“ He’ll stay there safe enough; good-bye,” 
said Lesa, going his way. 

At supper time he came home. Both children 
were seated at the table, because the mother liked 
to have everything ready for her husband. She 
immediately brought in the supper and sat down, 

61 


VINZI 


too. But he said nothing. Once in a while the 
mother looked questioningly at him, but as he 
took no notice she realized that something must 
have happened. Her husband apparently wished 
to be alone. Therefore as soon as the meal was 
done and she had finished the necessary tasks, the 
children were sent to bed. When Lesa found 
himself alone with his wife he said to her, “Sit 
down, I must talk to you.” 

She did as she was bid. 

“ I have had enough of the boy now,” he be¬ 
gan in quite a temper. “ It is not enough that he 
does nothing, understands nothing, and can’t be 
good for anything on the farm; now he even has 
to bring shame and dishonor upon us. This is the 
end now and I’ve made up my mind to send 
him away.” 

The woman had grown pale with fright. 

“ But for heaven’s sake, w T hat has Vinzi 
done? ” she asked anxiously. “ It is not a bit 
like him. What did he do, Vinzenz? Please tell 
me; did he really do some wrong? ” 

“ Ask him yourself what he has done. It is 
enough for me to have to hear from a neighbor 
that it would be better for my boy to have some¬ 
thing to do instead of running into other people’s 

62 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 


houses and fooling around. That a thing like 
that should be said to me! Matters have gone on 
long enough now, and this is the end. I am 
simply going to send him away.” 

In his agitation Yinzenz Lesa had risen from 
his chair but after walking once across the room, 
he came back to his seat. 

“ I can’t understand what has happened,” 
said the woman, when he was sitting beside her 
again, after she had been able to think a little. 
“ It certainly is not Vinzi’s way to go into 
people’s houses without a cause; there must have 
been a reason. Let us first talk to the boy and 
ask him why he did it, for it is not fair to judge 
him otherwise. He is sure to tell us the truth. 
But think, Vinzenz, what it would be to send 
away a twelve year old boy! He is much to 
young for that.” 

“ I won’t stop you from talking to him,” re¬ 
plied the husband, “ but one thing is clear. He 
simply has to go. I have thought of it for a long 
while and now the time has come. He must go 
to a place where there is no possible chance for 
him to hear such nonsense. He must go where 
there are few people, but the kind who get full 

pleasure from their work. I mean people who 

63 


VINZI 


stay by themselves and who do not sit together 
with strangers.” 

“ But the first thing of all should be to know 
the people,” the wife interrupted eagerly. “ I 

i 

hope you do not mean to send Vinzi to the first 
person who happens to like his work on a farm.” 

“ Easy, easy, I am coming to that,” the man 
continued in a calm voice. “You know that I 
went up to the Simplon last fall where a cousin of 
mine, Lorenz Lesa, lives. Well, he has a fine 
farm with a few splendid cows, and though it 
isn’t big, everything is in excellent order. I liked 
it up there and I’ll send the boy to him. Vinzi 
may still come out all right if he sees other boys 
who are happy and content in that kind of life.” 

“ Is it really possible that you mean to send 
the boy so far away! ” cried out the woman with a 
wail, “so high up into the mountains? It must 
be dreadfully lonely up there. I can’t even 
imagine what things would be like. I don’t know 
either your cousin or his wife. How could they 
be expected to receive the boy? You send him to 
them like a good-for-nothing with whom one can 
do nothing more at home. It would seem as if 
our Vinzi had become a criminal who had to be 
sent into banishment.” 

64 


t 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 


“ You need not get excited, woman,” retorted 
the man, “ the change is not to be a punishment 
but a means of bringing him around. My cousin 
Lorenz is a good, sensible man who won’t treat 
him badly, and Cousin Josepha is a splendid 
woman who is bringing up her three boys in such 
a way that it gives one pleasure to look at them. 
I saw them right in the midst of their cows and I 
never heard such singing and jokes and such 
cracking of whips. They seem to have an eternal 
holiday. Don’t you believe yourself that our boy 
might change in such surroundings and realize 
how lucky he is to have been born to be a farmer? 
Nothing better could possibly happen to him than 
to go.” 

The woman said nothing more, but she was 
far from convinced that Vinzi would feel at home 
among boys so different. She could not help 
wondering what the cousins would think of 
Vinzi’s rather odd ways. Many other thoughts 
disturbed her, but she knew how useless they 
were. Of course Vinzi had to go and she knew 
no other place to send him to. She asked her 
husband how soon they could hear whether their 
relations would take the boy, and when Vinzi 
would have to leave them. So her husband told 

65 


5 


VINZI 


her that he had clearly shown Lorenz how he 
liked the boys and had admitted how much he 
wished his boy were happy and bright, too, in¬ 
stead of being so dreamy. Lorenz had asked him 
then and there to send Vinzi to him for a summer 
whenever he wanted to. In the gay company of 
the other boys he might wake up. Lorenz also 
promised to do his share, as happy boys appealed 
to him much more than obstinate ones. 

So it had been settled between them that Vinzi 
was to go and that in return one of the three boys 
was to spend a summer with them. It would do 
him good to see a new place and different ways of 
working. Lesa believed that a man who lived in 
the valley was soon going to drive his cattle over 
the mountain and that would give them a good 
opportunity to send Vinzi. 

The mother went to bed with a heavy heart 
that night. Vinzi w r as to be sent to perfect 
strangers into surroundings she did not know r . 
Besides it was so far away that she could not even 
keep an eye on him. Why did it have to be? 
Another great sorrow was the thought that Vinzi 
must have done something to draw his father’s 
discontent upon him. She hardly slept that 

night. As soon as it had grown bright the next 

66 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 


morning and before anyone in the house had 
wakened, she went into Vinzi’s chamber. She 
wanted to have a quiet hour with the boy in order 
to hear what he had done. She also had to pre¬ 
pare him for what was to happen, for she realized 
that it would probably be very soon. Vinzi, open¬ 
ing his large, dark eyes, gazed with surprise at his 
mother. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, 
holding his hand in hers. 

“ Tell me, Vinzi,” she began, “ while nobody 
can disturb us, why you made father so angry 
yesterday. You had better tell me everything.” 

Vinzi had to think a little. He remembered 
how furiously Mrs. Troll had sent him away the 
day before and he supposed his father had heard 
about it. He told her the whole incident of the 
music lessons and how raging Mrs. Troll had 
grown, also how desirous Alida had been to con¬ 
tinue the lessons. 

A great load fell from the mother’s heart 
when she found that Vinzi had done no wrong. 
She understood, however, that their neighbor’s 
words had specially irritated her husband, be¬ 
cause Vinzi had for a long while caused him 
secret anxiety and grief. She found it necessary 
to explain to her boy, how wrong it had been to 


VINZI 


tell her nothing of the matter. She wondered if 
it had not occurred to him that nothing like that 
should have been begun without telling them at 
home. Vinzi here quite frankly admitted that he 
had been afraid of not getting his father’s per¬ 
mission, and as he had been so dreadfully eager to 
learn something about music, he and Stefeli had 
talked it all over and had decided that it was a 
good time to leave the pasture. They had 
thought their father would not mind so long 
as nothing happened to the cows. But the mother 
said that his secrecy had not been right and was 
bringing bad consequences, though she hoped 
these might also lead to good. Here she spoke of 
his father’s plan and their hope that Vinzi would 
learn to enjoy all the farm work his three cousins 
seemed to relish so much. She hoped he would 
heartily enter into everything with them and 
return bright and happy; which would make 
his father overjoyed. However delicately the 
mother had mentioned their decision, Vinzi had 
only heard the fact that he had to leave his home. 
The boy looked terror-stricken, but did not utter 
a word. The mother was glad enough that he 
did not complain, because his frightened face 
alone had brought the tears to her eyes. 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 

Everything took its usual course that day. 
The children went up to the pasture again, and 
the cows, after they wandered about for a bit, 
had quietly settled down. Stefeli was quite ac¬ 
customed to Vinzi’s long silent spells, when he 
seemed to listen to all kinds of sounds she could 
not hear. But that day he went too far. 

“Say something to me, Vinzi. You might 
just as well not be here at all, ,, she finally said a 
little crossly. 

“ Oh yes, and I won’t be here much longer. I 
can’t help thinking of your being all alone when 
I can’t come to the pasture any more,” Vinzi said 
dolefully. Then Stefeli heard that he was to be 
sent up to a high mountain, to people he had 
never seen. She could not believe that anything 
so unheard-of could suddenly come to pass. 

“When will you have to go?” she asked, 
wholly overcome by this dreadful change. 

As his mother had not mentioned this, Vinzi 
did not know. 

“ Oh, I am glad,” she cried out decidedly re¬ 
lieved, “ it may not be for quite a while. And if 
it is put off a long while, it may never happen at 
all. Cheer up again, Vinzi.” 

Stefeli had a way of finding a consoling side 

69 


VINZI 


to everything and had often brightened Vinzi’s 
despondent mood by her cheerful outlook. That 
day also the boy was affected by her words, and 
the sunny afternoon ended much more happily 
than it had begun. 

When the children had gone to bed and the 
parents were sitting alone together Lesa told his 
wife that he had gone to the village that day and 
that when he had asked after his friend he had 
foimd that the latter had just that day driven 
his cows over the mountain. But there was no 
loss in that; on the contrary. He had at the same 
time heard of a young workman from Gondo who 
was going home to his village next Monday. As 
he would make the road from Brieg on foot, he 
expected to spend the night in Berisal on the way. 
This was much better, as Vinzi would not be 
obliged to make the whole journey on foot. Lesa 
also knew an innkeeper in Berisal who would 
provide good board for the travellers. 

The woman, who had listened silently till now, 
here said, “ How can you give our boy in charge 
of a person nobody knows anything about, ex¬ 
cept that he is going up the mountain.” 

“ I immediately went to see him and talked it 

70 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 


all over,” replied the father, “and I found him a 
good fellow. When I inquired about him I 
heard nothing but good of him. All Vinzi needs 
is to have a companion, for he can look after him¬ 
self perfectly well. No boy is a little child any 
more at twelve.” 

“ Young enough, to go away alone,” uttered 
the mother with a sigh. “ Does he really have 
to go on Monday? Tomorrow is Sunday.” 

“ Nothing could be better,” the husband said 
decisively. “ If a thing has to be done, it is best 
to have it settled right away. I can’t see any¬ 
thing dreadful in it. He is not going to Australia, 
and next winter he’ll be home again.” 

“ It is a blessing that we can give him into the 
protection of our Father in Heaven. I find this 
my only consolation now when the boy goes away, 
and I don’t even know the people he is going to,” 
said Mrs. Lesa. 

“ That is quite true,” the husband replied, 
happy at the thought that his wife had found a 
consolation. “ I think everything is all right 
now,” he said after a pause, pushing his pipe 
from one corner of his mouth to the other. But 
something still seemed to be on his mind. “ I 

think the boy ought to be told about going.” 

n 


VINZI 


“ He knows, for I told him this morning; only 
I didn’t know wdien.” 

The man found this information very wel¬ 
come. Vinzi had known all day what was to 
happen to him and he had retained his composure. 
As Lesa had anticipated a flood of tears, he was 
very glad to be spared a scene. 

Next day the afternoon sun was shining down 
upon the bench before Lesa’s house when he took 
his seat there as usual and called to Vinzi to come 
to him. 

“ You know that you are to go to our cousin’s 
on the mountain,” he began when the boy was 
sitting beside him. “ It is beautiful there and 
you’ll soon like it. You are going there for your 
own good and I hope you’ll remember to do honor 
to your parents. Your fellow-traveller knows 
the house you are to go to. You are expected 
there, though they do not know the exact day of 
your coming. All you have to tell them is 
who you are. Just say that I sent you as I 
planned to do. You leave early tomorrow morn¬ 
ing with a man who knows the way and has ex¬ 
act instructions.” 

The father was decidedly pleased when Vinzi 
said not a word. To give the boy courage he 

72 


UNLOOKED-FOR EVENTS 

vividly described the gay life of his young cousins 
in the midst of their lively mountain cattle. The 
mother in the meantime packed the little bag 
Vinzi was to take on his back. 

Stefeli had heard from her mother what was 
to happen the next morning and as she noted that 
her questions proved unwelcome she said nothing. 
There was still less chance of having questions 
answered by her father who was now talking to 
Vinzi. Poor Stefeli felt quite lost and followed 
her mother about, hoping that the time would 
come soon when she could talk again. 

The bag was packed and a very silent supper 
had been eaten. The mother seemed completely 
unable to utter a syllable. She was very anxious 
to control her grief in order not to make it harder 
for the boy, but she must say a few words to him 
that night when he was in bed. All was dark 
when she went to his little room and sat down at 
his bed-side. 

“ I am glad you came, mother,” he said im¬ 
mediately. “ I am a little frightened. Do you 
think my uncle will be cross when I forget to 
mind the cows? Stefeli always called to me when 
she needed me if I was not paying attention.” 

“ I don’t know, as I never saw either your aunt 

73 


YINZI 


or your uncle,” replied the mother. “ But I want 
to beg of you, Vinzi, to do your very best to please 
them. If they should complain of you, or feel 
obliged to send you home, your father could not 
bear it. Never do anything that would prevent 
you from looking cheerfully up to your good 
Father in Heaven, for you can always look to him 
when you feel afraid or lonely. You can tell 
Him everything, for He is always above you and 
can see and hear you. Don’t forget that, Vinzi, 
and may this thought be your greatest comfort.” 

Y r inzi promised never to forget her words. 
With this she left him. 

In the very early morning the father ac¬ 
companied Y r inzi down to the station where his 
fellow-traveller was waiting. After the train had 
carried them across the valley to Brieg, they were 
to take to the road which led to the mountain. 


CHAPTER IV 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


R. THORNAU, who was staying with 
his sick wife at the baths of Leuk had 
just received two letters. One was from 



his daughter, and one from the children’s govern¬ 
ess. Both letters expressed an urgent desire to 
see him as soon as possible as the writers wished to 
speak to him. He felt no particular joy at the 
complete harmony of their wishes, because he 
knew that this usually resulted from a great dif¬ 
ference of opinion. Laying the letters on his 
wife’s bed, he said, “ They’ve asked me to come to 
them again, and it is sure to be some matter I have 
to settle with Miss Landrat. Don’t be alarmed, 
though, for worrying might hurt you.” 

Mr. Thornau could see that his wife was 
agitated as she murmered to herself, “ I wish we 
had not sent the children away, it is not good for 
them. They should be here with us.” 

“If you want them here, Alida,” said he, 
you only need to say so, and I’ll fetch them. 


75 


«< 




VINZI 


But you know that I installed them there to give 
you the quiet you ought to have.” 

“ I’ll be more quiet if you bring them,” re¬ 
plied she. “ Apparently they are not very happy. 
The governess may mean well, but she is too 
strict; which shows that she does not understand 
children. She uses the greatest severity when it 
is not necessary. I see that Hugo grows more 
quiet and reserved and Alida more obstinate and 
head-strong, despite her best intentions. Neither 
of them is easy to handle, as you know.” 

“ Quite right,” the husband agreed. “ Alida 
has my temperament and being a girl, needs 
specially good guidance. Nature has curiously 
changed things, for Hugo needs special care, 
too. He has inherited your temperament and 
delicate health.” 

“ Yes, he too needs special consideration,” the 
mother added. “ Please promise me always to 
treat him affectionately. He will stand in such 
need of it, especially when I am no more.” 

“ But for heaven’s sake, Alida, do not think 
of such a thing, and let us never say another word 
about it! ” Mr. Thornau cried out. “ I’ll start 
right off to settle this new law-suit. I shall walk 
there, because the road is charming. It will 

76 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 

take two hours, but I’ll probably take a car¬ 
riage back. 

Mr. Thornau was quietly chuckling to him¬ 
self as he strolled down the mountain. He clearly 
recollected the last case he had had to arbitrate. 
Alida, while practicing, had rather urgently 
banged the innocent keys to make them feel how 
little to her taste it was to have to spend her time 
with them. Miss Landrat had given her a well- 
earned scolding, but had unfortunately grown 
violently angry. Suddenly Alida had pressed 
both hands on her mouth to keep herself from 
bursting out laughing. “ Why are you laugh¬ 
ing? ” Miss Landrat had asked, still more angry. 
Alida shortly declared she could not tell why. 
On being asked three times more, she repeated 
the same answer. Finally the governess abso¬ 
lutely commanded her to tell the truth and she 
was reminded of her duty to obey. Alida knew 
that she must do so and therefore she informed 
the questioner that her face had grown so pointed 
while she was scolding her that she had resembled 
a drawing in her natural history book. She had 
suddenly thought her governess’s name might 
really be Miss Landrat.* This impertinence 


* Miss Country-rat. 


77 



VINZI 


was reported to her father, but Alida vigorously 
objected that she had not meant to be impertinent 
in the least. As her father had ordered her to 
obey, she could not do otherwise. The father had 
really found it a rather hard case to settle. 

Mr. Thornau reached Mrs. Troll’s house. 
The door was violently thrown open and Alida, 
who had spied her father, came rushing out. At 
the first moment of their greeting a whole stream 
of information about the event in question came 
pouring from her lips. But the father checked 
her. “Miss Landrat will be heard first; your 
turn comes next,” he said. He kept his word 
and first got one version, which was followed by a 
vivid second from his daughter. Alida fully 
described Mrs. Troll’s horrid behavior to Vinzi 
when she had sent him off. Hugo figured as 
witness and assured his father that Vinzi was a 
charming looking boy and not a common street 
boy by any means. He boldly stated that he 
would much rather associate with Vinzi than with 
Mrs. Troll. 

The father never doubted that his daughter’s 
sudden enthusiasm for music had an extraordi¬ 
nary cause. But this was not the most important 
point. He felt that the boy who had so honestly 

78 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


returned his daughter’s property, and had been 
invited by her to return to the house, had been 
treated most insultingly. He felt anxious to 
offer some kind of reparation and decided to pay 
a little call on the boy and his parents and to 
apologize for what had happened. They might 
give the boy a small present as a reward for re¬ 
turning the shawl. Full of joy Alida offered to 
act as guide, as Vinzi had told her where he lived 
and how to get there. They had no trouble find¬ 
ing Lesa’s house as a slightly curving path which 
led across the big meadow took them there in the 
shortest time. Everything round about was 
quiet, with the exception of peaceful cackling 
sounds from the farm-yard. The house looked 
most tidy. The lawn was newly mowed, the road 
was swept, and the bench in the shade of the wal¬ 
nut tree seemed to have been polished. 

“ I like the looks of this place,” said Mr. 
Thornau, glancing about with satisfaction. 
“ Too bad, too, bad,” he added. The last words 
he had murmered to himself, but Alida had heard 
and interpreted them. 

“ Don’t you mean it is too bad we don’t live 
here, papa?” she cried. “But we could easily 
move here, as our piano is only rented. Vinzi 

79 


VINZI 


could practice with me every day. Then I’d 
really enjoy it. You know, papa, it is dreadfully 
stupid to learn alone. That’s why I gave him 
lessons; it made him practice, too. He is so 
clever that he’ll soon learn.” 

The father burst into a laugh. “ I see the 
reason for the music lessons now! Excellent! 
Hid you say your pupil was anxious to learn? ” 

“ Oh, yes, and he was so clever, too,” ex¬ 
claimed Alida. “ Just think, papa, when I ex¬ 
plained anything to him he usually understood 
it better than I did and afterwards was able to 
explain it all to me.” 

The father could not help smiling as he ap¬ 
proached the door, which was unfastened. 

Mr. Thornau, entering the hall, knocked on 
the first door. In answer to a call from within 
he went into a large bright room. Mrs. Lesa was 
sitting near the window with some sewing and 
Stefeli in front of her. The little girl’s small 
fingers were with difficulty holding several thick 
knitting-needles; the coarse thread was wound 
six times around her index-finger. The woman 
rose at once and met her visitors. Mr. Thornau, 
introducing himself, gave her to understand that 
he had come to express his sincere regret for what 

80 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


Mrs. Troll had said to Vinzi. He knew that the 
boy had brought back Alida’s property and had 
been invited by Alida to come again. He also 
hoped that he and his children would be able to 
tell Vinzi themselves how sorry they were about 
Mrs. Troll’s unkind words. He wondered if he 
would accept some friendly attention from them 
in gratitude for finding the shawl. Mrs. Lesa 
did not know what Mrs. Troll’s words had been, 
for Vinzi had not repeated them. She realized 
what must have happened, however, and it came 
into her mind that Mrs. Troll’s remarks to her 
husband had occasioned Vinzi’s immediate re¬ 
moval from home. He had left only that morn¬ 
ing and all the mother’s thoughts had been 
engrossed by his going. Begging the gentleman 
to take a seat she told him where Vinzi had 
been sent. 

Alida, rushing up to Stefeli, asked her im¬ 
petuously, “ Where is your brother? ” 

“ He has gone away,” was Stefeli’s reply. 

“ Why are you not on the pasture? I thought 
you always stayed on the pasture till he comes 
back,” said Alida, evidently well informed on the 
matter. “If you were there you would not have 
to knit such a heavy stocking.” 

6 81 


VINZI 


“ Vinzi has not gone for but an hour; he has 
gone for weeks and weeks. That’s why some¬ 
body else will have to take care of the cows now, 
but we don’t know who is to attend to them yet,” 
Stefeli replied. “ You see I couldn’t possibly 
do it all alone. I couldn’t manage them if they 
were all jumping around at once. But mother 
told me that all bad things have a good side, too. 
She thought I couldn’t spend my time better than 
knitting woolen stockings for Vinzi to wear when 
he comes home again.” 

“ I should say that that decidedly belonged to 
the very worst side of all,” replied Alida quickly. 
“ Those thick needles are hurting you and the 
heavy thread is cutting into your finger. Won’t 
you show me your barn-yard? I can hear the 
funny little noises the chickens are making. 
Can’t you come out with me? ” 

Stefeli looked towards her mother, who had 
heard what the children were saying. With a 
nod Stefeli was given permission, and the girls 
ran out. 

“ I am sure the boy wants to go, too,” said 
Mrs. Lesa, glancing towards Hugo, who had 
posted himself shyly behind his father’s chair. 
“ The air would do him good.” 

82 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


“ Yes, Hugo, you can go and see the place,’* 
remarked the father. “ Look how those two are 
running, or rather flying about. Go and run 
about with them.” 

Hugo obeyed. 

“If I have understood you rightly, Mrs. 
Lesa,” Mr. Thornau continued the interrupted 
conversation, “ the boy has been sent away be¬ 
cause he shows no interest in your fine, pros¬ 
perous farm and has evidently no inclination for 
his future life’s work. But I cannot believe him 
to be a dull boy, for he seems to have been tre¬ 
mendously eager to take music lessons from 
my daughter. According to her he showed the 
most extraordinary comprehension.” 

“ Oh, no, he is not dull,” replied Mrs. Lesa 
with animation, “ the trouble with him is that he 
has his thoughts where they ought not to be. If 
he happens to be out in the field with his father 
and he hears the sound of a bell anywhere he 
drops everything and pays attention to abso¬ 
lutely nothing else till no sound of it can be heard 
any more. Very often when no one else can 
hear anything he seems to be listening to some¬ 
thing. Naturally his father gets impatient with 

him. He thought that if Vinzi lived for a while 

83 


VINZI 


with boys who love farm life he might change 
and get to like it, too. But I don’t know how 
it will work out,” added Mrs. Lesa with a 
wistful shake of the head. “ These things are so 
deeply rooted in Vinzi. When he was a baby he 
would stand stockstill at hearing a beautiful 
sound. Whenever he got hurt and was crying, 
I only had to take him on my lap and sing him a 
song to make him happy and quiet again.” 

“ But, my dear Mrs. Lesa, all this clearly 
shows that your boy has an ear for music and a 
real devotion to it, together with natural talent,” 
Mr. Thornau said eagerly. “ Did you never 
think of having his talent developed? The boy 
and you, too, might reap the greatest happiness 
that way.” 

“ I do not know what the gentleman means,” 
answered Mrs. Lesa with a questioning look. 

“ What I mean? Your boy might be sent to 
a music school where they could judge his talent. 
He could study there. It takes years, of course, 
but what of that ? If he turns out to be a finished 
musician he would be happy and satisfied, and 
you, too, of course.” 

“ That’s nothing for Vinzi,” said Mrs. Lesa 
deliberately. “ His father would not consent. 

84 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


He would never let his only son leave home for 
years and years. He would not let him live 
among strangers for such a reason, and it would 
be altogether too uncertain a future for the boy.” 

“ Isn’t the world strange? ” exclaimed Mr. 
Thornau. “Just look at my boy! He is my 
only son, too. He only needs to say what he 
wants and I give it to him. He may study what 
he pleases, and it makes me happy to let him. But 
what do you think? If I ask him, £ Would you 
like riding horseback? ’ he answers, ‘ No, I’d 
rather not.’ Should I ask him if he wants to 
learn to play the violin, or the piano, or the flute, 
all he says is, ‘ No, I’d rather not.’ ‘ Would you 
like to become a sailor and go far across the sea 
into foreign countries? ’ He always says, ‘ Oh, no, 
father, I’d rather not,’ and that is the answer I 
get every time. I cannot help being envious of 
vour son who has such a decided inclination 
for music.” 

Mrs. Lesa had watched Hugo for quite a 
while through the open window. Leaning against 
a tree, he was staring indifferently before him. 
The two girls in the meanwhile were playing tag, 
shrieking violently whenever they were caught, 

and then eagerly beginning again. 

85 


VINZI 


“He probably is not very strong,” she said 
sympathetically. “He looks pale and thin. He 
would get stronger if he could live a while on 
the pasture.” 

“ Yes, I suppose that would do him good,” 
replied Mr. Thornau. “ He never was very 
hardy and now he seems more frail than ever. 
Since my wife was taken ill and the boy had to 
be separated from her, all the life seems to have 
gone out of him.” 

“ Why don’t you let him stay with his 
mother? ” Mrs. Lesa inquired. Her voice clearly 
showed an interest, as if it were a matter of great 
importance to herself and as if her visitor were an 
old friend of hers. 

Mr. Thornau smiled. 

“ You are a real mother, Mrs. Lesa, even for 
children that are not your own. I like that. But 
you see, my wife has been ordered a complete rest. 
So I had to send the children away. If the boy is 
allowed to be with his mother, the girl wants to 
be with her, too, and she is by nature very noisy— 
of course she can’t help it. But the mother wants 
her children back for she worries about them 
more when they are absent. But I think my 
visit has been long enough, Mrs. Lesa,” said Mr. 

86 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


Thomau, getting up. “ Please permit me to 
come again, for I like your home extremely.” 

Mrs. Lesa accompanied her guest outside and 
called the children. Hugo was still leaning 
against the tree, but when the girls came running 
forward he slowly followed. When Stefeli heard 
that her mother had invited Mr. Thornau to come 
again, she said quickly, “You must be sure to 
come, too, Alida. I might be up on the pasture 
then, and you could see what it is like there.” 

Alida promised to return, and after taking 
leave, Mr. Thornau and the children wandered 
back to Mrs. Troll’s house. As she appeared in 
the doorway just then, Mr. Thornau immediately 
informed her that the children were leaving her in 
a few days. Their mother wanted them back 
sooner than he had expected to take them home, 
but he promised her to fulfill his obligations. The 
chief reason for their going, though, was that he 
wished no one to suffer for an act of courtesy 
shown his children. 

How* changed Mr. Thornau was of a sudden, 
Mrs. Troll thought to herself. He had turned 
from her so abruptly, he who had always been so 
courteous and friendly. He really meant to take 
the children away. Of course he would never 

87 


VINZI 


bring them back. And all on account of that 
miserable boy across the way. It was really 
laughable. However, Mrs. Troll was not in a 
mood to laugh at all. Now when it was too late 
she would willingly have taken back the harsh 
words she had said to Vinzi. 

Just then the carriage Mr. Thornau had 
ordered drove up. Alida, close at her father’s 
side, extracted a triple promise from him that he 
would soon take them away. When the carriage 
started she had to let him go. Lost in deep 
thought, Mr. Thornau drove down the mountain¬ 
side. His impression of Mrs. Lesa and her 
household had been extremely pleasant, and he 
wished he had known the woman before he had 
placed his children elsewhere. She might have 
been justified in feeling deep resentment against 
them, as the boy had really been banished on their 
account, but not a trace of such feeling had she 
shown. He also decided to let his daughter dis¬ 
continue her music study. He was sure that if 
she had real love for music it would show itself in 
some other way. Suddenly Mr. Thornau was 
greeted by a wanderer going in the same direc¬ 
tion and in whom he recognized his table- 
companion from the hotel. 

88 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


“ Oh, Mr. Delrick, what a hermit you are! ” 
he called out, ordering his carriage to stop. “If 
you refuse to get into my carriage I shall think 
that my company is not good enough for you.” 

Mr. Delrick politely thanked him for the 
offer, but said that he was unwilling to give up 
his daily walk even for such good company. 

“ Good! then I’ll join you,” said Mr. 
Thornau, jumping out of the carriage. “ I am 
sure what' I have to say will interest you.” 

Mr. Delrick smiled, and the two men walked 
along side by side. 

“ Do not smile in such an incredulous way,” 
continued Mr. Thornau. “ Do you really intend 
to turn your back on society and live alone? ” 

“ It is not quite so bad as that,” Mr. Delrick 
answered with a smile, “ but I don’t mind ad¬ 
mitting that I should leave the hotel if I could 
find a pleasant home with simple upright people 
to stay in. I should enjoy nature much 
more there.” 

“ I have found the very house for you,” said 
Mr. Thornau triumphantly. “ That’s what I 
was going to tell you.” 

He then related his experiences of the day 
and described his new acquaintance, Mrs. Lesa, 

89 5 


VINZI 


with great enthusiasm. The deep peace of the 
surroundings and the unusual order and cleanli¬ 
ness in the house and garden, barn and stable 
would make anybody long to live there. “ Enough, 
Mr. Delrick,” he concluded. “ It certainly is 
the home for you. I really feel very unselfish 
telling you this, because we shall be the losers if 
you leave us. But strangely enough, one cannot 
help doing you a favor. You win people’s heart’s 
in spite of themselves. 

“ My dear Mr. Thornau,” said his companion, 
patting him on the shoulder, “ you are kind in¬ 
deed to take pity on a poor unpractical hermit. 
I feel ever so grateful to you. Your description 
has awakened a keen desire in me to take a look 
at the house.” 

At this point a beautiful path joined the road. 
Though much longer it repaid by the very fine 
views to be had from several spots. As Mr. 
Delrick wanted to walk home that way, the 
friends separated and Mr. Thornau again 
climbed into his carriage. 

When Vinzenz Lesa came out of the house 
next day to look after his business on the farm, 

he noticed a stranger, who was apparently seek- 

90 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


ing someone. As soon as the latter saw the 
farmer, he approached. 

“ Does this house by any chance belong to a 
Mr. Lesa? ” he asked politely. 

“ Yes, sir,” was the answer. 

“ Do I have the honor of speaking to the 
owner of it ? ” asked the stranger. 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ I am lucky to find you, Mr. Lesa. I’d like 
to do some business with you. My name is 
Delrick, and I came from Dresden. I am stop¬ 
ping in the baths of Leuk, where there are too 
many people for my taste. As I want to stay in 
the neighborhood, I am looking for a quiet home 
to live in for a few weeks. When Mr. Thornau 
told me about yours I came to see it myself. I 
cannot help 'wishing that you would take me as 
a boarder.” 

“ I live here with my wife and child and I 
take in no strangers,” Mr. Lesa replied curtly. 

“ You are right,” Mr. Delrick answered 
pleasantly. “If I were in your place I’d do 
the same.” 

Lesa could not help looking at the stranger 
in astonishment. “ I suppose then that our busi¬ 
ness is settled? ” 


91 


VINZI 


“ I am afraid so,” replied Mr. Delrick, “ but 
I wish you could tell me another house where I 
could live. One as much like yours as possible, 
just as well situated and surrounded by such 
mighty trees. You have a picked estate, Mr. 
Lesa, and I realize that I can’t expect to find 
such order and care anywhere else.” 

Mr. Lesa was visibly pleased that the gentle¬ 
man had eyes enough to see that his home was 
kept differently from many others. But his wife 
really merited most of the praise for the condition 
of the yard and garden. He could not help think¬ 
ing of her, sitting in the house and worrying 
about her boy. By now Yinzi had probably 
reached his cousins on the mountain. She had 
hardly spoken a word all day, and he was sorry 
for her. It might be a good plan to take this 
gentleman into the house to fill her loss. She 
had thought before of getting a room ready for 
boarders and as the stranger had made a most 
agreeable impression on him he felt not at all 
averse to the idea of spending his free evenings 
with such a man. 

After reflecting he answered, “ I can’t really 
think of any other place. But you might go in 
and speak to my wife—if she should agree to take 

92 



A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


you I won’t have any objections. May I attend 
to mv work now? ” 

With this he offered his hand in farewell. 

At this unexpected turn Mr. Delrick was 
most happy and surprised. Holding Lesa’s 
hand in his a moment he asked, “Do I under¬ 
stand you right, Mr. Lesa? Will you really be 
satisfied with whatever your wife decides to do? ” 

“Yes, I’ll be satisfied,” Lesa answered be¬ 
fore turning about. 

When Mr. Delrick’s knocking had been 
answered by a response to come in, he entered the 
room. The child was there alone, knitting a 
heavy stocking at the window. Going up to 
Stefeli, he asked the little one to call her mother 
as he wanted to speak to her. 

“ Oh, she’ll soon be here. When she heard 
you knocking she went to her room because she 
was crying a little,” said Stefeli. 

“ Oh, I am sorry. Has something sad hap¬ 
pened that your mother has to cry? ” asked 
the stranger. 

“Yes, because Vinzi has gone away for all 
summer and she doesn’t even know the people he 
is living with,” Stefeli went on. 

“ Is Vinzi your brother? ” the gentleman 

93 


VINZI 


asked, full of sympathy. “ Why did he have to 
go away? ” 

“We don’t quite know,” Stefeli replied, “per¬ 
haps because Alida gave him music lessons.” 

“ Oh, what a strange case! ” Mr. Delrick re¬ 
marked with a smile. “ I suppose you have 
always been with your brother. You must miss 
him now that you are all alone?” 

“ Yes, of course, and mother does, too, and he 
is missed also on the pasture. We were on the 
pasture all day long. Father has a cow-boy now 
and my mother won’t let me go to the pasture any 
more. Father said the cows won’t graze and are 
running about as if lost. Schwarzeli wants 
to jump all the hedges, and when the new boy 
chases her she turns about wildly and runs away 
frightened. I believe it, too. We have known 
each other so long and well, and she doesn’t like 
a new boy who tries to rule her. She doesn’t 
know his voice and she doesn’t feel at home at all, 
poor Schwarzeli! ” 

When Stefeli had gotten as far as that in her 
recital the door opened and her mother entered. 
Mr. Delrick, going to meet her, said that he had 
come with her husband’s permission to ask her 

a question, but as he had heard of her recent 

94 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


sorrow from her little daughter, he did not feel it 
right to trouble her. 

“It is often good for us if we have to pull 
ourselves together. Then we have less time 
to brood over our troubles,” Mrs. Lesa re¬ 
plied collectedly. 

“ It might be still better to look on our grief 
as if it were no grief at all. That makes it yet 
easier to bear. What do you think, Mrs. 
Lesa?” said Mr. Delrick as confidentially as an 
old friend. 

Mrs. Lesa looked up in surprise. 

“ I think I understand what the gentleman 
means, but I hardly seem to find an answer,” she 
replied after a pause. 

“ There is no hurry,” said Mr. Delrick kindly. 
“If you will permit me to live in your home for a 
few months we might find many an hour to con¬ 
tinue our conversation.” 

More astonished than ever, Mrs. Lesa glanced 
at the stranger. A happy smile spread for a 
moment over her features, only to disappear as 
suddenly. “ It does not depend on me alone, 
sir,” she said calmly. “ I know that my husband 
won’t have strangers in the house. That settles 
the matter, I fear.” 


95 


VINZI 


“ Mr. Lesa and I understand each other 
already,” said Mr. Delrick. “ He told me him¬ 
self that he would be satisfied with whatever you 
decide to do.” 

Mrs. Lesa knew not what to think. Only a 
short time ago her husband had positively de¬ 
clared that he wanted no strangers to five with 
him. However, the gentleman might look at 
the two rooms possible, in order to know if they 
would suit him. She would then consult with 
her husband and send him word at the hotel. 
Having no intention to hurry Mrs. Lesa in her 
decision, Mr. Delrick agreed. Climbing the 
stairs, he glanced into the rooms. One had an 
eastern exposure and in the other the noonday 
sun was shining through the windows. The 
branches of the old walnut trees outside were 
swaying in the breeze, and Mr. Delrick was im¬ 
mensely taken with them. If he had had his way 
he would have taken possession of the rooms at 
once. This Mrs. Lesa could not fail to observe. 

“ I must say good-bye to your little 
daughter,” he said going towards the door. “We 
are good friends already and I hope we can con¬ 
tinue to be so.” 

Stefeli, who had been hiding behind her 

96 


A DEPARTURE AND AN ARRIVAL 


mother, shot forward at these words. She had 
taken in everything and had followed her mother 
in order to find out if the gentleman liked 
the rooms. She was hoping that he would come 
to live there. That would give her somebody to 
talk to, for he had listened very attentively to 
everything she had told him about the pasture. 

Mr. Delrick, shaking her hand, begged her to 
lead him up to the pasture some day. At parting 
Mrs. Lesa promised to send their decision to him 
as soon as possible, for he was anxious to know. 

When Vinzenz Lesa returned home in the 
evening, the first question he asked his wife was, 
“ Well, what did you settle with the gentleman? ” 

She told him about their conversation and her 
having put off a decided answer until she knew 
what he thought about it. 

“ But I am quite sure, Vinzenz,” she con¬ 
cluded, “ if this gentleman comes to live with us 
he is sure to bring a blessing to our home.” 

“ I suppose we need not scorn it,” replied the 
farmer. “ You had better send him word that 
we expect him soon.” 

His wife did so with joy in her heart and a 
few days later Mr. Delrick moved into Mr. 
Lesa’s house. 

7 


97 


CHAPTER V 


BANISHMENT 

D URING the first half of the journey 
Vinzi had not spoken. The thought 
that he was to spend a long time in 
the midst of strangers far from his home lay 
heavily upon him. He hardly realized what 
went on about him. In Berisal his companion 
took him to the inn belonging to his father’s 
friend. When the latter had questioned the 
boy sufficiently about the trip, he found it wise 
for Vinzi to have supper and immediately go 
to bed, as he was sure to be tired from the long 
waken till his fellow-traveller firmly shook him the 
next morning. As the sun was already high, it was 
necessary to hurry; but that did not trouble 
Vinzi, for he was used to that at home. On the 
days when they had gone to the pasture Stefeli 
was nearly always dressed when he got up, and 
he had had to be quick to get ready in time. Oh, 
if only Stefeli were there now to call him, and 
if only his mother would come in to say a few 
friendly words! Vinzi had to fight hard to keep 

98 


BANISHMENT 


back the tears. Tie was dressed in a short time 
and sat down to his cup of coffee in the room 
where his companion awaited him. The two 
companions went silently up the mountain. Poor 
Vinzi felt stranger and stranger as he neared 
his destination. 

“ Look, boy,” said the young workman, who 
had been whistling all the time, “ do you see that 
stone house? ” 

Vinzi saw it and in his terror he could not utter 
a syllable. He thought that the gloomy gray 
house on the stony slope was his cousin’s place. 

44 Yes, I see it,” he finally said in a very 
low voice. 

44 We’ll stop there to get something to eat,” 
said the young man. 44 After that comes the 
last stretch we have to climb. From then on it 
goes down hill and you’ll soon be there. I have to 
go all the way down to the next valley, so we won’t 
have much time to rest.” 

Vinzi was perfectly indifferent. He felt little 
enough inclination to eat and was constantly 
picturing to himself his arrival at the house of 
his unknown cousins. Maybe it looked as gloomy 
as the gray house of stone. His inner agitation 
constantly increased while they had a short lunch 

99 


VINZI 


and afterwards when they silently took to the 
road again. They stood on the summit now and 
the path began to slope down hill. 

u What is that?” asked Vinzi glancing 
timidly at a large building which lay at the left of 
the road. Despite the fact that it seemed to 
shelter many people, everything about it lay 
in soundless peace and not a human being could 
be seen. 

“ That’s nothing bad, you don’t need to be 
frightened,” said the young fellow. “ On the 
contrary, it is a nice place. Good monks live 
there, who take in people that travel by in winter, 
half frozen. They have a warm fire for you and 
a drop of something warm to strengthen you.” 

“What is that over there?” asked Vinzi 
again after a little while, when an old solitary 
tower showed itself to the right of the road. 

“ Do you think you have to live there? Don’t 
make such eyes!” said the young man. “I 
shouldn’t like to live there myself. It is as quiet 
here as if it were at the end of the world. But 
they do grow old here. Ten years ago I saw 
a man sitting there with his hair and beard as 
white as the snow on that peak. A year ago I 

100 


BANISHMENT 


saw him, too, and sure enough, there he is again. 
Quick now, boy, you don’t have far to go.” 

But the end was not reached before half an 
hour’s vigorous tramp was behind them. Point¬ 
ing down hill the workman said, “ Look at that 
white building down there! That’s a little chapel. 
A few houses are about it and they call the hamlet 
‘ Bychapel.’ The village is a bit further down, 
but your uncle lives near the chapel. I’ll show 
you the house and then I’ll leave you. You 
can’t possibly miss your way.” 

Vinzi stared breathlessly ahead of him, and 
without once looking back, rushed forward. 
They had reached the chapel, which was a little 
way from the road on a hillock. The young 
man stopped. 

“Well, here we are!” he said. “Pass the 
chapel to your right and go to the very last house 
which has a barn beside it. Lorenz Lesa lives 
there. Good-bye now and good luck! ” 

“ Good-bye, thank you! ” said Vinzi, as he 
sadly shook hands. 

The young man turned about and went 
whistling on his way and Vinzi looked after 
him. The last person who was connected with 

his home had vanished and nothing but the un- 

101 


VINZI 


known lay before him. But alas I it had to be. 
He did as he was told and found the house on the 
grassy slope. 

A small, stone building behind it was evi¬ 
dently the stable. At the other side was a browm 
construction covered with stones and shingles, 
evidently the barn, where the supply of hay was 
kept. As the small door of the barn was wide 
open and everything about the house was still 
and the house door shut, Vinzi went towards it. 
He knew well enough that one couldn’t get into 
the door from the ground except by clambering 
up the boards, for the hut was raised off the 
ground by four posts to keep the hay dry and 
airy. Vinzi climbed in through the extremely 
low door, where a grown up person was obliged to 
stoop. A tall, strongly-built man was straighten¬ 
ing up the hay. 

“ Good evening! ” Vinzi called out. “ Does 
this barn belong to Lorenz Lesa? ” 

“ It does, what do you want with him?” the 
man called back. 

“He is our cousin. I belong to Vinzenz Lesa 
in Leuk and father sends you his good greet¬ 
ings. He said you knew about my coming 
here,” Vinzi went on confidentially, for he hoped 

102 


BANISHMENT 


that this man who had already won his trust 
might be his uncle. 

Sticking his fork into the hay, the man came 
nearer in order to hear better. 

He looked the boy straight in the eye, offered 
him his hand, and said pleasantly, “ Oh, I see! 
Are you really Vinzi? I am glad you have come 
to your relatives. Hid you come up here 
all alone? ” 

Vinzi’s heart had opened at the glance of the 
friendly eyes and the kindly sound of his voice. 
He bravely raised his eyes from the floor at which 
he had been staring till now, and told about his 
travels. He was so glad, he said, to have found 
his uncle so soon, for he had been quite frightened 
at the thought of coming among strangers. 

“ There is nothing to be afraid of,” said the 
uncle good-humoredly. “ My boys are not ex¬ 
actly tame, but you can manage with them. You 
must be hungry and thirsty now,” he went on, 
“ and we had better go over to your aunt, who’ll 
look after you.” 

Vinzi was on the ground with a jump and his 
uncle followed. Just at that moment a woman 
of rather generous proportions opened the door 

and calmly looked about her. 

103 


VINZI 


“ I have to let the smoke out a bit,” she re¬ 
marked to her husband. Then observing the boy 
at her husband’s side, she calmly looked him over. 

“ I am bringing you our nephew from Leuk,” 
said the man, “ but he is still a bit afraid of us. 
Please look out that he doesn’t feel worse.” At 
this last remark the man slightly chuckled. 

“ I frighten no children,” answered the 
woman deliberately, giving Vinzi her hand. 
“ Welcome to our house, nephew.” Then she 
began to inspect him so thoroughly from top to 
toe that her husband finally said, “ I should think 
it better if you examined the rest of him inside. 
Can’t you see that the boy still has the pack on his 
back? I am sure he wouldn’t take it amiss to 
have something to eat after the long tramp he 
has had.” 

“He can have something right away,” said 
the woman. “ Supper is nearly ready, but the 
smoke drove me from the stove. “ I’ll put the 
food on the table and we can begin to eat. We 
don’t need to wait for the boys; they are sure to 
turn up sooner or later.” 

Turning towards the house, she freed Vinzi 
of his pack. Not very long afterwards he sat 
comfortably at the table with his aunt and uncle 

104 


BANISHMENT 


and as soon as all fear of the strange relatives 
had left him he was suddenly conscious of the 
most tremendous appetite. Despite the long trip 
he had barely eaten. The cousin seemed some¬ 
how to have guessed this, for long before the 
boy’s plate was empty he heaped it full again 
with steaming potatoes and lovely yellow cheese. 
This combination tasted so delicious together that 
Vinzi thought he had never eaten anything better 
in his life. 

Once in a while his aunt would say, “Give him 
more milk. You mustn’t forget how parched he 
must be from the wind and dust of his long trip.” 

Vinzi needed no urging to drink one cup of 
fresh milk after another. All of a sudden shrill 
voices and calls could be heard outside, followed 
by the loud flicking of whips and happy cries. 
Vinzi looked out of the window, amazed, but 
saw nothing. 

“ There are the boys! They have come home 
with the cows. I must quickly run out to help 
them, for they can’t attend to the cattle alone. 
I suppose you’ve never done so either? Would 
you like to come out and see our cows and 
the stable? ” 

“ Oh, leave him alone now! ” said the aunt. 

105 


VINZI 


“ Why should he rush about after all the walking 
he’s done? He can start the day with the boys 
tomorrow, if he wants to.” 

“ I only asked, because boys usually like to be 
where something lively is going on,” replied 
Lorenz Lesa, “ but he shall be free to say what 
he prefers.” 

“I’d like to stay here,” replied Vinzi. 

“ All right, then,” said the uncle, as he went 
outside. 

The aunt showed herself pleased that Vinzi 
was willing to remain quiet and did not im¬ 
mediately want to run away. First of all he was 
to have another cup of milk to lay the last bit of 
dust from the journey. Then folding her arms 
and settling comfortably into her chair she said: 
“ Now tell me about your people at home and the 
kind of life you lead there. I like to hear about 
such things.” 

Vinzi was pleased at this opportunity to talk 
about his home. He had been wondering all 
the time what his mother was doing just then, 
whether Stefeli was alone on the pasture, and 
how everything was getting along without him. 
He told his aunt about their household, especially 
how his mother and Stefeli usually spent the day. 

106 


BANISHMENT 


A loud tramping neared the door now and the 
next instant it was flung open. A boy of Vinzi’s 
age came running in, followed by a little chap 
and one much larger, who apparently resented 
being the last. Quickly giving a high jump, he 
tried to leap over the little one’s head by prop¬ 
ping himself on his shoulders. But quick as a 
wink the sly little one ducked down and the big 
boy fell headlong with a thump. 

“You must not enter in such an unmannerly 
fashion, Faz,” said the mother calmly. 

“ Good evening, cousin,” said the eldest, hold¬ 
ing his hand out to Vinzi. 

“ Good evening, cousin,” cried the second boy, 
too, and “ Good evening cousin,” also called the 
youngest, pushing his way very near to Vinzi. 

Vinzi heartily shook the proffered hands and 
answered their salutations. Meanwhile the father 
had come in. 

“You must know each other’s names, boys,” 
he said, stepping towards the group. “ Your 
cousin’s is Vinzi, which is short for Vinzenz. My 
three are called Joseph, Bonifaz and Maurus. 
But these are their calendar names, and we call 

them Jos, Faz and Bussli. I think you had 

107 


VINZI 


better sit down now, for the potatoes have cooled 
off enough to eat.” 

“ Oh, I am glad,” said the mother with satis¬ 
faction, “ then they won’t burn their throats 
today. Usually they do when they are in such 
a hurry.” 

All three settled down to the important busi¬ 
ness of eating. They said nothing, but their 
glances resting on Vinzi showed that he occupied 
their thoughts completely. 

Now that the tumult had subsided and one 
could speak and hear without exertion, the 
mother said, “ As our relatives did not let us know 
beforehand that Vinzi was coming, we did not get 
ready for him. But I have an idea. If he is to 
sleep in the house we shall have to clear out the 
store-room where wheat, corn and all kinds of 
things are kept. The mice up there squeak and 
scratch so much that they might frighten him. 
Wouldn’t it be much better if we fixed him a bed 
in the hay-rick? He would really be much more 
comfortable there.” 

“ He’ll have to say himself where he’d rather 
sleep,” put in the uncle. “ If he prefers the store¬ 
room, we’ll all of us go up and clear everything 
away. Vinzi, where would you rather sleep? ” 

108 


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“I’d love to sleep in the hay-rick,” replied 
Vinzi. 

“ I thought so,” said his aunt, quite relieved 
that the matter was so quickly settled. “ And you 
must have a little table, a bench and a chest of 
drawers to make you comfortable,” she added. 
“ As soon as you are all done with supper you can 
take some things over for him.” 

She went out first in search of what was 
needed, and soon after the three boys had finished 
their meal and hastened after her. When Vinzi 
rose in order to make himself useful, too, the 
uncle assured him that the heavy pack he had 
carried on his back was enough work for that day. 
Hanging it on his arm, the man beckoned to 
Vinzi to follow him. They had scarcely reached 
the hay-rick, when the three boys came running 
along. Jos carried a little cupboard, Faz had a 
small table with a large blanket on top, and Russli 
brought a little bench. The mother with the 
pillow and sheets followed behind. With an 
agility clearly showing how used she was to climb¬ 
ing into the barn, the aunt had gone in. One 
thing after another was lifted up by Lorenz Lesa, 
and she pulled them in through the door. 

When the last one was inside, the uncle said, 

109 


VINZI 


“ We’ll say good-night to you now. On the in¬ 
side of the door is a wooden bolt that you can 
fasten. Once inside, you are the sole master of 
your castle and no person can come whom you 
wish to keep out.” 

Now the aunt came down again. 

“ Everything is ready for you,” she said. “ And 
look, nephew, over there is the stream, where you 
can wash yourself. No one will disturb you there. 
I laid a towel for you on the bench. Good-night.” 

The cousins all wished him good-night, too, 
but Jos turned round once more. 

“ Are you coming up to the pasture with us 
tomorrow morning, Vinzi? Do you expect to stay 
with us all day while we mind the cows? ” 

“ Yes, certainly,” replied Vinzi. “ I’ll help 
you all I can, but you must tell me which I have 
to mind most. Please call me in the morning, so 
that I shan’t be late.” 

“Yes, yes, I’ll call to you loudly through the 
round air-hole,” Jos promised. “ You’ll be able 
to hear me well enough.” With that he ran away. 

Vinzi was left alone. Climbing up through 
the door, he inspected his barn. In a corner on 
a high, soft pile of hay his bed was spread. Beside 
it the hay had been pushed away to give room for 

110 


BANISHMENT 


the table and the bench, and at the wall stood his 
little cupboard. It all looked like a cosy and in¬ 
viting little room. But he was not able to sleep 
because the unusual happenings of the day had 
excited him so much. Sitting down on the board 
which formed his threshold, he looked outside. 
The stars were glowing above him in the heavens 
and just then the moon rose from behind the 
mountains. It was beginning to light up the 
dark trees and meadows and the little church 
looked very white, and the high snow-peak rising 
above the rocky ranges became more and more 
brilliant every minute. Vinzi opened his eyes 
very wide, for in his great terror of what lay 
before him he had seen practically nothing after 
the gloomy house on the mountain desert. 
He had made up his mind that only fright¬ 
ful things would happen to him. How different 
was the scene now before him from what he 
had anticipated! 

There was no stony desert here. On the con¬ 
trary, the moonlight gleamed peacefully down 
to the green slope and sparkled on the tops of the 
larch trees over the way. In the peaceful silence 
he could hear the continuous soft gurgling of the 
near-bv stream. Vinzi listened to the sound 

111 


VINZI 


while the tones grew fuller and louder till lovely 
melodies could be distinguished. He must have 
been sitting there for a considerable time when 
a strong gust of wind suddenly pushed the door to 
against his knee and woke him from his dreaming. 
He had never in his life seen the stars above him 
sparkle as they did that night. His mother’s 
words that the good God in Heaven was above 
him everywhere and could hear and watch him 
now suddenly occurred to him. Many times he 
had heard her say these words, but at that mo¬ 
ment his heart fully realized them. It gave him 
a sense that Heaven was very near him and filled 
his soul with gratitude to God who had let him 
find happiness where he had anticipated evil. 
How groundless had been his fear of his uncle and 
aunt! They had received and treated him so 
kindly that he already felt at home. In his joy 
he would have loved to fill the night with a loud 
song of praise, but it was too late for that. Not 
a single light could be seen about him; everyone 
in all the cottages, far and near, was apparently 
fast asleep. 

After shutting and bolting the door, he sought 
his fragrant bed, which was soft and splendid, 
for no hay could prick him through the heavy 

112 


BANISHMENT 


sheets. Opposite his bed an especially bright star 
kept gleaming in through the round hole in the 
wall. He tried to shut his eyes, but it shone so 
brightly that he could not help gazing at it. 
Even when his lids seemed to be closing he opened 
them again to see it. Yes, the star was still shin¬ 
ing. What was more, Vinzi could distinguish 
some faint, beautiful music, which finally put him 
to sleep. The star was singing to Vinzi so that 
he could hear it even in his dreams. 

Next morning Vinzi was awakened by a 
dreadful noise, caused by his name being screamed 
by many voices at once. Stefeli had never called 
as loudly as that to waken him, thought Vinzi, 
still half asleep. But all of a sudden he realized 
where he was and whose loud voices had ap¬ 
parently been shouting for a long time in vain. 
Rapidly putting on the most necessary clothing, 
he opened his door wide and leaped down among 
his noisy cousins. 

“ Hurry up, come along! ” they called all at 
,once and Jos added, “Take your jacket along. 
As soon as we’ve had breakfast, we are off.” 

As Vinzi was not even washed yet, he begged 
them not to wait for him as he would rather follow 

them later. 

8 


113 


VINZI 


The two older ones quickly ran off, but Russli 
going with Vinzi to the stream, said confiden¬ 
tially, “ You don’t need to wash yourself. You 
don’t look dirty: come with us, Vinzi, you are 
clean enough.” 

“ No, no, Russli,” Vinzi answered. “ One 
must wash every morning and besides it makes 
one feel better. Oh, what nice, clear water.” So 
saying Vinzi kneeled down and taking up hand¬ 
fuls he poured the fresfy water over his face 
again and again, and also drank one handful 
after another. 

This made a deep impression on Russli, for 
Vinzi looked refreshed and radiant. Meditating 
deeply the little boy said, “ I’ll come and wash 
myself here with you and I’ll drink afterwards 
like you, too. I’ll do it every day from now on.” 

Having finished his toilet, Vinzi fetched his 
jacket and went over to the house with Russli. 

Both uncle and aunt, who were still at break¬ 
fast, greeted Vinzi kindly. The aunt set a large 
cup of coffee before him and entreated the boy 
to help himself to lots of bread, as the strong 
mountain air would soon give him a fresh appetite. 

“ We ought to have let you sleep longer after 
your trip,” said the uncle, “ but the boys were just 

114 


BANISHMENT 


wild for you to go with them. They are so 
pleased to have a cousin who belongs to 
them now.” 

“ Just take your time,” urged the aunt when 
she saw that Vinzi was hurrying in order to finish 
his breakfast. “ Your uncle will go out with you 
when you are done, and he has not finished either.’ 1 

When the uncle rose soon after, Vinzi fol¬ 
lowed him. 

Jos and Faz had been flicking their whips for 
quite a while to show that they were ready. The 
father unfastened one cow after another from her 
stall and the whole procession began to move. 
Quite a stretch of road beyond the chapel had to 
be passed before the pasture-ground for the day 
could be reached. Russli had immediately come 
to Vinzi’s side and was firmly grasping his hand. 
He tried to hold Vinzi back as much as possible, 
while Faz and Jos were busy driving the cows 
along. This was difficult, because the luscious 
grass along the sides constantly tempted them to 
stray from the road. 

“ Leave me alone, Russli,” Vinzi said hurry¬ 
ing forward. “You see I must help your brothers 
to keep the cows in order.” 

During a struggle Faz had with a cow who 

115 


VINZI 


was trying to clean off a tender bush by the road¬ 
side he heard these words. 

“ Keep Russli out of mischief for us,” he 
called back to Vinzi. “ You can’t possibly help 
us better than that. The little chap always 
tickles the cows with his rod and that makes them 
run from side to side. If they do that we can 
barely manage them. Russli is a mischievous 
little fellow, you’d better hold him tight.” 

Faz at last got control of his obstinate cow 
and, driving her along, followed the others. 

“ Vinzi,” asked Russli, overjoyed at being 
able to have his new cousin’s company, “ have you 
a knife?” 

“ Yes, of course, everybody needs one,” Vinzi 
replied. 

“ Come on and I’ll show you a fine bush,” 
said Russli, “ where the branches are thick below 
and very thin above; you know they are very 
strong, too. Won’t you cut me a few good willow 
sticks. Mine is broken and I can’t do it myself 
because I am not allowed to have a knife.” 

“ Why do you want the stick? ” asked Vinzi. 
“ I hope you don’t want it for beating the cows. 
You heard what Faz just told me about you.” 

“ Oh, I don’t beat them, but I like to tickle 

116 


BANISHMENT 


them a bit,” explained Russli. “ That makes 
them jump and they get lively.” 

“No, no, Russli, they don’t think it fun,” 
said Vinzi. “ They jump from fright, because 
such thin whips hurt them very much. I won’t 
make you any sticks for that. But show me the 
bush, and if the wood is good I’ll cut you some¬ 
thing else.” 

Of course Russli was terribly curious to know 
what Vinzi meant to make him. But Vinzi 
declared he would not tell till he had seen the 
bush and asked Jos a question. Expectantly 
Russli ran ahead. Soon they turned off from 
the road to a grove, where they found a large bush 
whose branches stood up perfectly straight. 

“ Here,” said Russli, pulling Vinzi along. 

Vinzi, gazing with satisfaction at the firm 
branches, began to cut those which pleased 
him most. 

“ Come now,” he said after having gathered a 
considerable bunch, “we must go .to your 
brothers. Do you know where they are ? I can’t 
see them any more. I’ll cut it for you when I 
get there.” 

Russli hastened on followed by Vinzi. 

117 


VINZI 


“ Oh, how lovely it is here,” Vinzi exclaimed 
and stood still. “ But where is the pasture? ” 

“ Here,” said Russli. 

Vinzi looked about him. Here and there 
isolated high, dark larches let in the deep-blue sky 
through their delicate branches. On the lovely 
green slope little patches of fiery red alpine-roses 
glowed between moss-covered stones. The full 
mountain stream was rushing down hill throwing 
up snow-white foain whenever rocks tried to bar 
its course. Vinzi could see the cows quietly graz¬ 
ing a short distance away. He stood without 
moving. Never in his life had he seen such a 
pasture. The slanting sun fell through the trees 
on the glowing flowers and sparkled on the wav¬ 
ing grass. The soft mountain air, gently fanning 
the trees, played with the shadows and soughed 
through their branches with a delicate song. 

The soughing seemed first to grow, then to 
die away in the far distance. Vinzi had not moved 
from the spot, gazing and listening intently. 

“ When will you cut me what you promised? ” 
asked Russli quite angrily, for his patience had 
given out with waiting. 

“ All right, Ill come,” said Vinzi, as if 
awakening from a dream. “I’ll come. But it 

118 


BANISHMENT 


is wonderful here! Hold these sticks a minute, 
Russli. I’ll come right back and make you what 
I said I would.” 

Vinzi ran over to the grazing place and looked 
about for his cousins. Across the road was a 
very large pasture without trees and with many 
cattle. Vinzi could see a small group of goat¬ 
herds bending over a smoking spot on the ground. 
They were apparently trying to make a fire, but 
as it would not burn, were shouting all at once 
and causing much confusion. Vinzi saw Jos and 
Faz among them. First he called to Jos a con¬ 
siderable time in vain, but when Jos finally heard 
him, he came over. 

“ Come to us, Vinzi! ” he called out, running. 
“We are making a fire, or I should rather call 
it smoke. One of the boys found a hole, and we 
think some kind of animal, maybe a marmot, is 
inside. It’ll come out if the smoke gets into the 
hole. Then we can catch it. Come, we’ll have 
such fun.” 

“ No, I’d rather not,” said Vinzi, for he had 
not the slightest desire to see a little frightened 
beast jump out of the hole, and much less to see 
all the boys chase it and frighten it more. “ I 

promised Russli to come back. But I must ask 

119 


VINZI 


you something. Do you think your father would 
mind if I cut Russli a pipe? ” 

“ Why should he mind ? What do you mean ? 
I couldn’t even guess why not? ” Jos exclaimed. 
“ I am sure he couldn’t possibly object, and we 
are only too glad if you keep Russli busy. He 
makes the cows simply wild and that keeps us 
chasing them. The minute they see him even 
they begin to run.” 

“ Shouldn’t I help you mind the cows? ” 
asked Vinzi, slightly concerned. “ Can I really 
sit down quietly and cut out pipes? ” 

“ You can’t help us any better way than that,” 
said Jos. “ Please believe me. Look how peace¬ 
fully they are grazing. If Russli were teasing 
them, they would long ago have begun to 
run around.” 

Vinzi was delighted at being told his share of 
the day’s work and he went back to Russli. 

“ Now, Russli,” said Vinzi on reaching the 
little boy, “ watch what I shall make.” 

As he settled down on a moss covered rock, 
the reddish-purple violets beside him exhaled 
such a sweet perfume that he had to draw in a 
few deep breaths. Then carefully choosing one 
of the branches he cut it off where it began to 

120 























BANISHMENT 


grow more slender and started carving the 
thicker piece. 

“ What will it be when it’s finished? ” asked 
Russli, who had settled on the stone by Vinzi’s 
side and, was eagerly following the work. 

“ It’ll be a pipe to play music on,” was the 
answer. 

Russli moved nearer to the carver in de¬ 
lighted surprise, for he was afraid he would lose 
something of the creation of this wonderful thing. 
Russli knew the little hollow pipes that usually 
broke right away, but he had never seen such a 
thick, long wooden pipe as his cousin was making. 
Vinzi had learned and invented many things since 
he had cut his first pipes that could only give 
forth one tone. He cut several holes now in 
order to have several tones played on it. But it 
took considerable time to bore the small round 
holes, because Vinzi was very particular. Several 
hours passed. Once in a while Vinzi stopped to 
listen to the wind singing in the branches, and to 
the merry wavelets of the mountain stream that 
gave forth sometimes a song of joy and some¬ 
times a low plaintive note. Sometimes he stooped 
down to inhale the delicious perfume of the 

m 


VINZI 


violets beside him. But at last he snapped shut 
his knife. 

“ There, Russli! Take your pipe, it is 
finished!” 

With glistening eyes the little boy set his pipe 
to his lips and produced the most penetrating 
sound. Russli was quite scared at the loud noise 
he had made, for he had blown into the pipe with 
all his might. 

You had better blow it,” he said, giving the 
instrument to Vinzi. 

At that instant they heard a shrill whistle 
followed by a second. It was clearly a summons. 

“ It is time to eat,” said Russli. “ They 
always whistle that way when we are to gather 
together for lunch. Come on.” 

Russli was already bounding away. 

“Look at my pipe! Look, I have a pipe! ” 
he called loudly to his brothers, who were already 
eating. As soon as Russli saw this, he looked 
about till he found the lunch-bag, which lay like 
a lost object on the ground. Quickly pulling out 
his share he gave Vinzi the food meant for him. 
“ Take it! ” he said, “ this is yours. The others 
have already taken theirs.” 

Vinzi did this and settled himself beside 

122 


BANISHMENT 


Russli. But he could not help thinking what 
Stefeli would say to them if she saw how they 
only looked after themselves, as if they had 
had a fight. 

Jos had finished in the meantime and called 
from his seat to Russli, “ Give me the pipe, I 
want to try it.” 

“ Come and get it,” said Russli in a curt way. 

Vinzi had already risen to bring it to Jos, 
when the latter quickly jumped up, asserting that 
if he wanted it, it was for him to fetch it. Faz 
had joined them, too, now. 

“ Show it to me,” he cried, but Jos, who was 
already holding it to his lips, pushed Faz away. 
Now the music began. All Jos knew was that 
the fingers had to be placed on the different holes 
to produce various sounds. He succeeded in that 
but they had a terribly harsh, disconnected tone. 

“ Give it to me, you don’t know how,” cried 
Faz, grabbing the pipe. 

But under his fingers the pipe shrilled and 
yelled more hideously still. 

“ It looks so fine,” said Jos regretfully, “ and 
we could never have made so nice a one, but it 
does not sound nice.” 


123 


VINZI 


Vinzi had finished his lunch by that time and 
took the pipe from Faz. 

“ I want to try it, too,” he said. With this 
he began to play a little song, one tone clearly 
and beautifully following the other. Dumb with 
amazement the three stood before him and 
listened spellbound. 

“You certainly know how to play, Vinzi; 
won’t you teach me, too? ” asked Jos eagerly as 
soon as Vinzi had paused. 

“ Me, too,” cried Faz. 

44 And me, too,” repeated Russli. 

“ Give me the pipe,” begged Jos impatiently. 

“ No, give it to me,” cried Faz, but Russli 
had already snatched it up and run away with his 
property for fear that he would be robbed of it 
by superior strength. * 

“ Leave it to him,” said Vinzi, “ I’ll make you 
each one out of the sticks I have. I can easily 
get all I want.” 

This quieted the brothers, and as they wanted 
more music they called Russli. Jos especially 
had been delighted with it. But no calling could 
bring Russli back. Finally, Vinzi had to hasten 
after him to explain that he was not to lose his 

precious gift. The boys sat about in a close 

124 


BANISHMENT 


group now, for every one of them wanted to be 
as near to Vinzi as possible to see how it was done. 
He was made to play on and on, every conceiv¬ 
able tune be bad ever known. When finally bis 
memory gave out, he made up pieces out of songs 
of birds and the sounds of bells he had heard. 

The group of listeners had constantly grown, 
for the boys from the other pastures waiting in 
vain for Faz and Jos, had gone to seek them. 
They got together every afternoon, usually to 
perpetrate some mischief, and Jos and Faz being 
mostly the leaders, they needed them. But the 
music pleased all the boys so much that they re¬ 
mained. The afternoon slipped away unnoticed. 

One of the boys suddenly cried, “ I hear the 
horn, it must be six o’clock.” 

Immediately they dispersed, but before going 
they called back to Vinzi, “ Bring it with you to¬ 
morrow! Bring it tomorrow! ” 

It was high time for Faz and Jos to collect 
their cows to drive them home. 

“ Please, Vinzi, keep the little chap away 
from us going home. We’ll get along much 
faster then. That’s the best way for you to 
help us.” 

Vinzi was only too glad to take charge of 

125 


VINZI 


Russli. If his cousins found him most useful 
that way, he had a good conscience doing it, 
though it certainly was no hard work. Russli 
was also satisfied. Taking Vinzi’s hand he 
strolled harmlessly by his side as if he had never 
played the slightest trick in his life. But he 
demanded to be entertained. Every time Vinzi 
stopped talking to listen to a bird’s song or the 
gurgling of the stream, the little chap reminded 
him of his presence. When they approached the 
house they saw the father standing under the 
door to greet them. 

“ Well, how did you get along the first day, 
nephew? ” he asked. “ How did you like it on 
our pasture? ” 

“ A pipe, look at my pipe! Here, father, take 
it!—it sounds fine, ” Russli interrupted loudly, 
holding the pipe as closely as he could to his 
father’s eyes. 

“ Look, there they come with the cows,” said 
the father. “ Go in and show it to your mother. 
I’ll soon come, too.” 

“I loved it on the pasture,” Vinzi was now 
able to answer. “ It is splendid there under the 
trees. The day passed so quickly!” 

“ Yes, and Vinzi helped us so much,” added 

126 


BANISHMENT 


Jos, who had joined them. “ We got up there 
about ten times quicker than usual and all day 
the cows were quietly grazing, something they 
have not done for ages. I wish Vinzi would stay 
with us always.” 

“ I am glad to hear that,” said the father. 
“ That’s a good beginning and I hope you will 
keep on that way.” 

He went with the boys to the stable, and 
Vinzi followed, thinking that his uncle might 
need his help there. 

“ What can I do? ” he called to his uncle 
through the open stable door. 

The latter was busy milking. “ We’ll be 
done before very long,” answered he, “ but you 
can look about in the bam and stable, if you 
care to. 

Vinzi went out. The sunset glow was gilding 
the rocky mountains opposite, the dark spruces 
had bright, golden tops, and now the bell of the 
little chapel began to fill the air with its lovely, 
peaceful music. Vinzi, carried completely away 
by all the beauty, stood and listened, rooted to 
the spot. He stood thus until the glow had 
faded and the chapel bell had stopped. 

“Hello!” cried a voice behind him, while a 

127 


VXNZI 


brisk blow fell on his back. Then he was pulled 
by force to the pump, where the very necessary 
daily ablutions had to be made before supper. 

“ Are you awake again? ” asked Faz, who had 
pulled Vinzi along in the firm belief that he had 
fallen asleep in the middle of the road. 

“Yes, and your fists would certainly have 
awakened him before he got to the water,” said 
Jos, who had stepped up. 

“ Yes, indeed,” replied Vinzi, “ but I would 
rather he pulled me along than that he told your 
father that I fell asleep in the middle of the road. 
I wasn’t asleep, you know.” 

“ He isn’t a tell-tale, but he certainly can give 
a good blow,” Jos comforted Vinzi. 

Faz proceeded to the house, followed by the 
others. The mother was w r aiting at the table, 
patiently enduring the dreadful sounds Russli 
made with his pipe. 

“ You pipe like a cat that is half strangled,” 
Faz cried upon entering. 

“ You must not make fun of him right away,” 
said the mother. “He does not play so badly 
for a little boy. He was just telling me some¬ 
thing nice about you, Faz. He said that you did 

128 


BANISHMENT 

not beat him all day, and that he never cried 
at all.” 

“He only gets hit if he deserves it,” said Faz. 
“ He behaved well today because Vinzi was 
amusing him. I hope Vinzi stays with us always. 
Everything went as smoothly as possible today.” 

The other three entered now and Russli im¬ 
mediately flew to his father with the cry, “Now 
the pipe! ” 

“No, no, Russli, first we eat and then comes 
the pipe,” said the father sitting down. “ You 
see when I was their age I also liked to cut pipes 
and blow on them. I’ll have to look it over a bit, 
and then try if I still know how.” 

Russli was satisfied when he saw the delici¬ 
ously smelling hot corn-cake his mother had put 
on the table. He immediately attacked his 
heaped-up plate. 

After supper, when everybody leaned back 
happily in their chairs and the mother had 
cleared the table, the father said, “ Now let me 
see the pipe; I want to hear what it sounds like.” 

Russli, being rather sleepy after his hearty 
meal, found it hard to rouse himself. But he 
heard his father’s words and was dreadfully 
9 129 


VINZI 


afraid that Faz might bring his pipe to the father 
first, maybe even keep it afterwards. This 
brought him to his feet. 

When he approached with it, the father ex¬ 
claimed with surprise, examining the long pipe 
on all sides, “ What a well-made pipe! This is 
no ordinary pipe at all, but a regular shepherd’s 
pipe with all the regular holes. I wonder if I 
can still play.” 

Setting it to his lips, he brought forth sounds 
that somewhat resembled melody. 

“ Oh, father can do it better the first time, 
than we did after trying lots of times,” said Jos 
astonished. “ Only Vinzi can do it better still.” 

“We must hear him now,” said the father, 
handing the pipe to the boy. “ Won’t you please 
play for us? ” 

Vinzi remembered one piece better than any 
and he had already played it for the boys at least 
ten times that day. It was the little tune Alida 
had taught him. 

He started to play. 

When he came to the end there was no sound 
for a moment, because the lovely melody had 
moved everyone deeply. 

“Yes, of course he plays differently from 

130 


BANISHMENT 

me,” said the uncle. “I’d like to know who 
taught you.” 

“ Isn’t it fine to have something beautiful like 
that in one’s own house, without having to seek it 
elsewhere? ” said the aunt, quite overcome. “ It’s 
worth more than many great festivities. If our 
musician only could play us a beautiful hymn, 
we could all join in and sing.” 

“I’d love to,” said Vinzi, “I know lots, 
because mother always sings one at home with 
us every evening. What shall I play? ” 

“You probably know the same ones I do. 
Can you play, £ I Sing to You with Heart and 
Mouth’?” asked the aunt. 

Vinzi knew the hymn very well. After seek¬ 
ing a little for the notes he began to play firmly. 
The aunt sang heartily, the uncle raised a 
splendid bass and suddenly Jos joined in with a 
rich, fine voice. Faz growled low sometimes 
after his father, then he took up his mother’s high 
notes. Russli squeaked all sorts of tones too, but 
the other voices were so strong that it did not 
disturb the singing. The aunt was so happy 
over the music that she clamored for another 
song as soon as the first was done. Then another, 
and still another. 


131 


VINZI 


The uncle said happily, “ That was a fine 
entertainment, and we must do it again to¬ 
morrow. We can’t do any better than praise 
God with music.” 

When Vinzi came to his hay-rick his heart was 
so full of thanksgiving that he was obliged to sit 
down a while on his high threshold. Looking up 
to the sky he saw thousands of stars looking 
happily down upon him. Oh, how wonderfully 
beautiful it was here. The father had said that 
it was a splendid thing to praise God with music. 
Tomorrow they would be allowed to do it again 
and probably every day after that, thought Vinzi 
to himself. The pipe had pleased the uncle, too, 
and he seemed to enjoy hearing it. The happi¬ 
ness in Vinzi’s heart rose higher and higher at 
this thought. He felt as if he had to sing out 
loudly once more. In fact it seemed as if all he 
had to do was to join in the great song of praise 
which came to him from all sides, from the shin¬ 
ing stars, the gleaming chapel, the merrily rush¬ 
ing stream, and the golden moon over the high 
mountains. He quietly sang to the glorious, 
magic music about him. 

The wind stirred gently and wafted the per¬ 
fume from the pungent hay to Vinzi’s senses. 
Suddenly he remembered where he was. As it 

132 


BANISHMENT 


had grown very cool, he quickly closed the door 
and sought his inviting bed. 

From that day on Lorenz Leza’s family had 
music every night. They sang eagerly as if it 
was the chief work of the day. But the work of 
the day was behind them, and they could give 
themselves freely to the joys of their happy even¬ 
ings. What pleased Vinzi most was that his 
uncle and aunt always counted on having music 
every night. At supper time the aunt always 
said, “I look forward already to Vinzi’s playing.” 

And when the meal w T as over the uncle would 
say, “ I suppose we still have time for a song 
or two.” 

Whenever his uncle Lorenz started to sing, 
more songs he had known in his youth rose in 
his memory. Even if Vinzi did not know them, 
all the uncle had to do was to sing them to the 
boy a few times and the latter would repeat them 
perfectly. The rest could follow his piping and 
in that way learn all the songs. The uncle got a 
tremendous satisfaction from it all. When such 
a musical evening had passed the uncle shook 
Vinzi’s hand three or four times. “ You can 
make one young again with your music,” he 
would say. “ You are piping the joy of youth 

back into my heart, boy.” 

133 


CHAPTER VI 

HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


A BOUT three weeks after Vinzi had come 
to his uncle’s house a good friend of his 
father, who had business in Domo, came 
to see him. He brought him and the Lesa family 
greetings from Vinzi’s parents. On his way home 
he expected to stop as he had promised to bring 
Vinzenz Lesa news of the boy. His parents 
wanted to hear how he took to the life on the 
mountain and how he got along with his relatives. 
They also wondered if he annoyed his relatives by 
his silent dreamy ways. The uncle and aunt were 
to decide when the boy was to come home. As 
soon as they were ready to let him go, they could 
entrust him to some companion or send word to 
Leuk where they could find one. The man was 
to return in five or six days, of which the fifth 
day had just passed by. 

Lorenz entered the room. His wife had set 
the supper table and was quietly awaiting the re¬ 
turn of the boys, when she could place their 
welcome meal before them. 

134 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


“ The man from Leuk won’t come today,” 
said Lorenz. “ I suppose he’ll be here tomorrow 
early. We must let them know down there how 
much we like Vinzi.” 

“ Indeed we will,” agreed the wife. “ I was 
just wondering to myself why they sent him here. 
I would keep such a lad at home. One usually 
sends a boy away when he isn’t quite as he 
ought to be, or if he has queer ideas in his head 
that he might lose among strangers. But there 
are very few boys like Vinzi. Since he has come 
here I hardly recognize our own. Take Russli, 
for instance. Every morning he had to be 
dragged by violence to the fountain, and while he 
got washed, he usually shrieked like mad. Now 
he runs over to the stream behind the hay-rick as 
soon as he is out of bed. He loves to wash him¬ 
self there, he says, because Vinzi does it, too, and 
likes it. Russli rubs and scrubs himself cleaner 
than he would ever have let me do. He wants to 
look like Vinzi, whom every one likes to look at. 
Russli never comes home in tears the way he used 
to, either. One might have supposed that they 
had nearly killed him the way he carried on. 
When I ask him what has made the change in 
him, he answers that Faz is not allowed to beat 

135 


VINZI 


him, because Vinzi takes his part. If I ask Faz 
how it is that he leaves Russli in peace he answers 
that Vinzi keeps him in order and he needs no 
beating. ‘ I like it better that way,’ he says 
sensibly. 4 1 wish Vinzi would stay with us 
always.’ Faz would never have said such a 
thing before, for he used to enjoy giving 
blows. Jos was the only one who never gave us 
much trouble.” 

44 Oh, I suppose the eldest sons are always 
considered models by their mothers.” 

44 Oh, well, Jos can show himself anywhere,” 
the woman continued. 44 1 never saw a better- 
mannered boy than Vinzi, though. Jos has 
noticed that and has begun to imitate him, which 
suits him very well. He would only need a hat 
on his head and the kind of cloak around his 
shoulders that strangers on the stage-coach wear, 
to look like a gentleman’s son.” 

44 That’s not necessary,” interrupted the 
husband. 

44 And we never should have found out that 
Jos has such a beautiful voice if Vinzi had not 
started him with his music,” continued the wife. 
44 And just think of our peaceful evenings with 
the lovely singing every day. We are not dis- 

136 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


turbed any more by one boy throwing the other 
under the table, while the third one is breaking 
his chair by riding on it. I think that the music 
has somehow tamed them. They are hardly the 
same boys! I just want to say one more thing. 
Why did your cousin Vinzenz send the boy up 
here instead of keeping him at home? I am sure 
his wife did not wish him to go—I guess that 
much. Tell me, what do you think? ” 

“You can be sure that Vinzenz had a good 
reason,” replied the husband. “ I have asked 
myself the same question and have not been able 
to answer it. I remember his mentioning some¬ 
thing to me about the boy. When the man from 
Leuk asked us if Vinzi did not annoy us with his 
long fits of silence, I recollect that he thought 
our boys were more merry at their work. As he 
wished his boy to be the same he thought the 
totally different surroundings here might help 
him. He was in the right, too. Vinzi is as gay 
as a lark, nowadays, and makes the others gayer 
than they ever were.” 

The cheerful cries of the home-coming boys 
could now be heard. In order to assist them the 
father went outside while the mother turned 
towards the kitchen. The time had come to put 

137 



VINZI 


everything on the table in order to avoid im¬ 
patience on their part and burnt throats. 

The next day the man from Leuk returned. 
After putting a glass of wine before him Lorenz 
Lesa sat down at his side. 

“ What shall I tell them? ” asked the man. 

“ Tell my cousin Vinzenz that everything here 
is going well,” began Lorenz, “ and that his boy 
is very happy. He sings and whistles like a 
bird in seed time, and we with him.” 

“ And that we love him as if he were one of 
us,” added the wife. “We want to keep him 
here till the very last day of autumn.” 

“Yes, and tell my cousin,” the uncle con¬ 
tinued, “ that we should like to keep him for the 
winter if he has no objection. He has not an¬ 
noyed a soul up here, on the contrary he has made 
every one happy.” 

“ Vinzenz Lesa will be glad to hear that. I’ll 
carefully give him your message,” said the man. 
“Mrs. Lesa also wants to know how the boy is 
looking. She wants me to tell her exactly, but 
I suppose he is not to be seen.” 

“ No, for the boys are all on the pasture from 
six in the morning till six at night. They sing 

and whistle and could not have a better time,” 

138 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


said Lorenz. “ My cousin will approve of that, 
I am sure, for he would certainly not like him to 
stay at home.” 

“ And tell Mrs. Lesa that she need not 
worry/’ the woman went on. “ Her boy looks as 
well and sprightly as a cricket. If he should be 
ill I’ll see to him as if he were my own.” 

“ Well, that’s splendid,” said the messenger 
from Leuk. He was satisfied with the news he 
could bring to Mrs. Lesa, for she had pressed him 
to inquire into the smallest details, many of which 
he had quite forgotten. 

Vinzi had kept his promise in carving Faz and 
Jos each a beautiful pipe, and both were hard at 
work practicing. Pipe-playing had grown to be 
their sole amusement, for it was their dearest 
wish to imitate Vinzi as much as possible. 

Both realized that Vinzi’s playing was vastly 
superior to theirs, but they did not give up and 
tried to learn whatever they could. As soon as 
they reached the pasture in the morning, the 
piping began, and while the cows were grazing 
peacefully they would devote themselves to 
music. Jos and Faz were usually leaders of the 
other boys in their sports. When these did not 
appear they were very much missed by their 

139 


VINZI 


comrades. So the other boys came over to them, 
and soon this enthusiasm about music proved 
catching. Each boy wanted to try his talent for 
piping and thought he could imitate Vinzi’s play¬ 
ing better than any other. But they all agreed 
in pronouncing him their master, for each pipe 
took on a different quality when Vinzi blew it. 

After the pipes had continuously been whin¬ 
ing, howling and squeaking the boys always 
begged Vinzi to play. They wanted to see how 
he did it, and Vinzi was only too glad to do so. 
He played as long as they liked to hear him, 
while they actually crowded around him and 
eagerly watched his fingers. The melodies 
seemed to come somehow of themselves. All he 
did was to let his fingers leap lightly over the 
holes, and it looked childishly simple. After 
watching him each thought that he could now do 
it, too, and it made every boy eager to try afresh. 
If one seemingly succeeded fairly well, another 
boy would say that he could do it as well if only he 
had his own pipe and took time to practice. This 
was impossible now, because one could not keep 
the precious instrument more than a few minutes 
at a time. There were already ten more who 
clamored for it. 


140 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


Therefore one boy after another would come 
to Vinzi saying, “ I wish you would cut me a nice 
pipe, Vinzi; I’ll give you something for it.” 

Vinzi answered always most obligingly, “I’ll 
make you a pipe and you needn’t give me any¬ 
thing. But you’ll have to wait for it, because I 
have promised to make others first.” 

Vinzi was kept very busy, because every day 
brought him new requests for pipes. Some of 
his time was taken up by playing, and Russli did 
not give up his demands upon him, either. But 
Vinzi felt happy and satisfied. Whatever he 
could do he did gladly, and it gave him great 
satisfaction to be able to spread such joy 
about him. 

The uncle was delighted to hear about the 
daily gatherings on his pasture. He liked this 
pursuit of music and it pleased him that boys who 
lived as far up as the hospice should come down 
to learn the art of piping. By cutting several 
pipes every day Vinzi finally supplied nearly 
every pasture ground with two or three. But 
this did not suffice. As soon as a boy had suc¬ 
ceeded in giving forth a few satisfactory sounds 
another immediately wanted to try his talent, 
too. It took considerable practice and patience 

141 


VINZI 


before they could attempt to play a tune, for it 
was even hard to make smooth, pleasant sounds. 

The supreme wish of each boy had become to 
own a pipe which Vinzi had carved himself, for 
no one else could do it so well. 

Among the boys who met daily there were 
about ten or twelve who were called the Tower 
Boys. Vinzi never knew exactly how many of 
them there were, because only some of them could 
come down to the Lesa pasture at a time, the 
others staying behind to mind the cows. Vinzi 
had first believed them all to be brothers. But he 
found out that they were cousins and came from 
three different households. He had given two 
of them pipes already, for they had been very 
eager for them. One of them who was called 
Black Vereli, on account of his black, curly hair 
and dark complexion, had teased and begged 
him for a pipe so insistently that Vinzi could not 
resist his pleading. He gave him one which was 
already finished despite the fact that the other 
boys cried jealously, “ The Tower Boys have 
two already/’ 

Full of gratitude and enthusiasm, Vereli ran 
away with his precious gift. 

The next day he appeared again and quickly 

14 2 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


lan to Vinzi. “ I have to mind the cows today, 
but the others can stay,” he said breathlessly. 
“ But I have a message for you. I showed 
grandfather the pipe and he made me play on it. 
When he said I didn’t know how to play, I told 
him that you could do it better than anybody else. 
So he wants you to come and play for him some¬ 
times. Won’t you come some day when I have 
to stay up there ? Please come tomorrow, if you 
can,” Vereli called back as he ran away. 

“ I must ask uncle first. Where shall I go if 
he lets me? ” Vinzi called after the boy. 

But he got no answer from Vereli, who was 
already far away. 

“ You go up to the Tower Boys,” replied 
Russli. He was as usual close to Vinzi’s side 
and so had heard his question. 

“ But I don’t know where they live,” replied 
Vinzi. 

“ In the tower, of course,” said Russli. 

“ Is that the reason why you call them the 
Tower Boys? ” 

“ Of course,” Russli calmly informed him. 

The old gray tower that had filled him with 
such grave misgivings rose before Vinzi’s eyes 
now. In his wild state of fear it had seemed to 

143 


VINZI 


him no less than a prison in which his uncle might 
be living and where he might be obliged to live, 
too. But besides the tower he had a vague recol¬ 
lection of a bright meadow with shining flowers 
surrounding the building. His glance had hardly 
rested on these things in his foolish terror. Now 
he felt suddenly seized by an intense desire to 
wander up along the highway to see how all 
the things looked that had grown so dim in 
his recollection. 

That evening he repeated Vereli’s words to 
his uncle, asking at the same time what he was 
to do. 

“ Go up to the tower tomorrow, boy,” 
answered the uncle. The grandfather was the 
oldest man on the whole mountain-side and one 
had to do his bidding. 

“ Whose grandfather is he? ” asked Vinzi. 

“ Oh, the grandfather of all the so-called 
Tower Boys,” replied the uncle, “ and of a huge 
family besides who stay at home. Only the boys 
who attend to the cattbe go up there. He is in 
fact their great, or even great-great grandfather. 
But as that is much too complicated to say all 

his relatives on the mountain call him grand- 

144 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


father. He has an enormous number of grand 
and great-grandchildren.” 

“ Yes, Black Vereli is decidedly the worst of 
the whole bunch,” added Faz. 

“ How so? ” asked the father, who saw not 
the slightest connection between his own state¬ 
ment and the words which had followed. 

“ Oh, I mean that the Tower Boys always 
start the worst mischief and Black Vereli invents 
most of their tricks,” Faz explained. “ Jos 
always takes his part because he can jodel 
so well.” 

“ Yes he can do it like no one else and I love 
to hear him,” affirmed Jos. “I think that the 
invention of naughty tricks is beginning to die 
down a bit. Vereli is needed for that, and he has 
something else in his head now. Vinzi has made 
him a pipe, which he has wanted for ages, and he 
is so determined to learn how to play that nothing 
will stop him. You know that if he wants a 
thing he never gives up till he has it.” 

“ Those pipes are a real blessing for the whole 
mountain, it seems to me. They are toning 
down even the worst boys,” said the mother, 
comfortably leaning back in her chair. She knew 
what peace it had brought to her own evenings 

10 145 


VINZI 


and was already waiting for the tones of the pipe 
which so quieted them. 

When the boys were ready to set out to the 
pasture with their cattle next morning, the uncle 
said to Vinzi. “ Go right up to the tower, for 
the grandfather is sure to be up by now. He 
sits from early morning till evening on the bench 
before his house sunning himself. You will have 
to judge when it will be time to leave. Be sure to 
stay as long as he wants you to.” 

They set out, Russli, as usual, staying a little 
behind Vinzi. He had attentively listened to his 
father’s words. 

“ You must come back soon,” he said. “You 
must come down as soon as you have played 
something for the grandfather.” 

“ Didn’t you hear what your father said, 
Russli? ” retorted Vinzi. “ I have to do what 
the grandfather wants me to. I’ll have to stay 
all morning if he wishes me to.” 

“Then I’ll tickle the cows again,” Russli 
asserted grimly. 

“ That is wicked of you, Russli,” cried out 
Vinzi full of indignation. “ I always thought 
that you were a nice boy. Didn’t I stay with 
you all the time and tell you all sorts of stories? 

146 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 

Didn’t I play for you as much as ever you wanted 
me to? I never believed Faz when he told me 
naughty things about you and now I find that 
what I thought untrue was true after all. Do 
you know what I am going to do? I’ll stay with 
Jos and Faz from now on and you can stay by 
yourself and I’ll never come near you any more.” 

“ Then I won’t do it,” said Russli, half obsti¬ 
nately and half repentantly. 

“ That’s right, Russli,” said Vinzi, already 
reconciled, “ and I’ll promise to cut you some¬ 
thing on the way every time I leave you. What 
do you want? A walking stick? ” 

“No,” came the decided answer. 

“ Do you want a flag-pole? ” 

“ No.” 

“ What do you want? ” 

“ A pipe.” 

“But I gave you one ages ago,” suggested 
Vinzi. 

“ I don’t care. I want a pipe and then 
another and still another every time you want to 
make me something,” Russli said stubbornly. 

“ All right, you shall have a pipe,” Vinzi 
promised. 

When the boys came to the pasture they 

147 


VINZI 


turned their herd to the right of the road towards 
the larch trees. But Vinzi continued on his way. 
Every time his three cousins called to him, 
“ Come back soon,” he answered by waving his 
cap to them. He felt so well and strong now 
that he threw his cap high into the air and caught 
it again with a loud shout. Vinzi had never been 
so wonderfully happy before. The sun was shin¬ 
ing from a cloudless sky over the green fields, 
pastures and rugged mountains, against which 
the dark spruces were sharply outlined. He 
remembered having come that way, but how 
different it all looked now! The scene con¬ 
stantly grew more entrancing. The high snow- 
mountain stood out completely behind the 
wooded heights, and its great and mighty summit 
shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Suddenly a 
miracle seemed to happen. A broad stream, 
gleaming like silver in the early morning light, 
spread right across the whole mountain, but it 
made not a sound or motion. It was not rushing 
water, but a glorious, broad glacier. Vinzi had 
to stand still as he watched a strange blue fire 
flash across the expanse. He lingered a while, 
unable to go further. How strange that he 

should not have taken in all this beauty before I 

148 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


Going on again he was repaid by hearing 
sounds as of a rustling wood in the distance. He 
wondered what it might be, because he knew that 
there was no forest here. Foaming white and 
roaring loudly, there suddenly appeared before 
him a waterfall which leaped down over steep 
rocks and right across the way he saw a second. 
Here and there gurgling mountain streams 
rushed down from the rocky walls, and the air 
that blew into his face was so deliciously fresh 
that he had to pause again and take deep breaths. 
But what was the glowing red field which 
stretched a short distance from him down the 
slope? Eagerly Vinzi ran along as if he had 
wings and the bracing air made him forget how 
steep was the slope he was climbing. 

Sometimes, as the road made a curve, the red 
field would vanish for a while only to reappear 
again much nearer and still more brilliant in the 
sunlight. Now a well-known sound of cow-bells 
greeted his ears, and he wondered where the 
cattle were. 

He had to stop again in order to look about 
him. At his left, below the road he could see the 

herd peacefully grazing in a fresh green meadow. 

149 


VINZI 


He saw cows of different colors and quite a 
number of boys. Some lay flat on the ground 
while others stood together in little groups. In 
the middle of the valley rose a gray stone tower. 
That was the old tower he had seen on his trip 
and his cousins had described to him. Also the 
grandfather sat leaning his back against the 
ancient walls exactly as his uncle Lorenz had told 
him he would do. The old man with the bright 
sun shining down upon him was gazing up at the 
blue sky. He wore no hat on his snow-white 
head and a heavy white beard fell down to his 
chest. The old man sitting in the sun with the 
cows quietly grazing about him made the most 
peaceful scene. Even the old tower which had 
frightened him so seemed to be quite a cosy 
abode, and Vinzi could picture all the Tower 
Boys leading a very happy existence there with 
the grandfather. He was anxious to inspect it 
from near, but first he had to see the red 
mountain-side. It could not be far from 
here now. 

Vinzi hurried along. After a curve of the 
road the red, sparkling field lay before him. 

Climbing over the rocky edge of the road, he 

went deep into the green leaves which were 

150 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


covered with bright red alpine roses. They 
spread over the whole slope as far as he could 
see, and he could not help saying, “ How beauti¬ 
ful ! ” to himself, over and over again. 

Carefully going on, he discovered a little spot 
free of plants. Here he could sit down in the 
middle of the flowers without hurting them. In 
silent rapture he gazed at the glory about him. 

The sun was beating down from a cloudless 
sky but the fresh mountain breeze fanned his 
cheek and made him bless the hot rays. The dark 
blue sky stretched close over the gleaming field 
of roses, the gray ranges and green, sunny slopes. 
The mighty snow peak opposite rose high into 
the air and thundering streams flung their snow- 
white foam sunwards, so that they sparkled in a 
thousand colors. 

Vinzi must have been sitting there dreaming 
a long while. Suddenly he became conscious of 
the sun being nearly above his head, which meant 
that it was practically noon. Starting up at 
once, he ran in big leaps over the flowery field, 
putting his feet down so that he did not crush a 
single rose. Then he crossed the road and still 
kept on running across the other meadow to the 
old tower. Vinzi planted himself immediately in 

151 


VINZI 


front of the grandfather, who was still sitting on 
his wind-sheltered bench in the sunshine. But he 
had to take a deep breath before he could attempt 
to speak. 

“ What is it, boy? Why are you in such a 
hurry? ” calmly asked the grandfather. 

“ I am a bit late. I meant to be here much 
sooner,” replied the boy, having at last gained his 
breath. “ Black Vereli sent me here because you 
wanted to hear me play the pipe.” 

“ Oh, I see, you are the boy who carves the 
pipes and who is supposed to play so well,” said 
the old man. “ It is nice of you to come here. 
Sit down beside me on the bench and tell me where 
you come from and to whom you belong.” 

Vinzi, after sitting down, told the old man 
about his family and that he was staying for a 
while with his uncle Lorenz Lesa. 

“ I know him,” said the grandfather. “ He is 
a splendid man. Did he object to your coming 
up here? ” 

Vinzi answered that his uncle had bidden him 
to go and stay as long as the grandfather wished. 

“ Oh, I am glad; then you can play something 
for me. But I think we had better have some 
food first.” With these words the old man rose, 

152 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


but changing his mind suddenly, he resumed his 
seat again. 

“ I don’t think it would be unseemly if the 
young one brought the lunch while the old one re¬ 
mained seated,” he said, kindly patting Vinzi’s 
shoulder. “ Go around the comer here, open the 
door and go to the shelf. You’ll find a jug of 
milk and everything else ready. Go and bring it.” 

Yinzi was gone in a minute and quickly re¬ 
turned with the, required articles. The food was 
placed between them on the bench and the grand¬ 
father cut pieces of bread and cheese, inviting 
Yinzi to do the same. 

But the boy slightly hesitated. All morning 
he had done only what he had felt like doing, in¬ 
stead of coming early and playing to the grand¬ 
father. Therefore he could not begin with a 
clear conscience. 

“ Eat, eat, boy! What’s the matter? There 
is more than enough for us both. Why don’t you 
begin? ” asked the old man after a while with such 
a kindly glance from his eyes that Yinzi would 
have felt like doing a more difficult bidding. 

“ How do you like it here on our mountain? ” 
asked the old man after a little while. 

Vinzi’s eyes fairly flashed. “ Oh, it is wonder- 

153 


VINZI 


ful here. I never saw anything more beautiful 
in my life!” he exclaimed, still filled with his 
recent impressions. 

At this the grandfather patted him on the 
back again. “ Neither did I, neither did I,” he 
said full of satisfaction. “You think just what 
I think. I’d like to know where it could be finer. 
Where do they have such golden sunshine as we 
have up here and pure air like that which simply 
fills one with health? Every one can breathe as 
much of it, too, as he can hold. And what strength 
this air and sunshine give one! I tell you I know 
something about it. Of course my strength is 
beginning to give out a bit. I am still well but 
not young any more. How old do you think I 
am, boy? ” 

“ Maybe seventy,” said Vinzi. 

“ Oho, is that what you think! I was seventy 
twenty and a few odd years ago and I was young 
still at that time. I thought nothing of going 
with heavy loads on my back down into the valley 
and coming up again with more. But I can’t do 
such things now, and no more do they want me to. 
All the young people ask of me is to keep peace 
among the boys while they stay in the tower dur¬ 
ing summer. They are on the pasture during the 

154 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


day, but when they come home in the evening 
they need some one to keep them in order; other¬ 
wise things go amiss. I sit here in the sunshine 
all day and that gives me ample time to think over 
all the blessings I have to thank our Lord in 
Heaven for during my long life. Since I passed 
my ninetieth year I do not count any more. I 
take every fine day as a splendid gift and looking 
up to Heaven in the evening, I say from the 
bottom of my heart, 4 Thanks for it, good Father 
in Heaven, thanks! ’ And when the time comes 
for me to go, I won’t have far to go. Look what 
a short distance I will have to fly. That’s one of 
the reasons I love it here on the mountain. It’s 
very close to Heaven and so open that one can 
look about in all directions. One’s thoughts easily 
strive upwards and make one happy, either living 
or dying.” 

V r inzi had followed the grandfather’s words 
with keen attention. The boy was sorry when the 
speaker was silent at last, for he would have liked 
to know much more about the grandfather’s 
solitary existence. 

44 What are you thinking about so earnestly? ” 
asked the grandfather after a considerable silence 
between them. 


155 


VINZI 


“ I was longing for you to tell me about your 
life in winter when the boys have gone home. I 
wonder if you stay in the tower all alone or if you 
have to leave despite your being so happy here,” 
replied Yinzi. 

“ I have not gone to the valley for at least ten 
years and I do not care to,” said the grandfather, 
inhaling a deep breath of the sunny mountain air. 
“ I could neither stand the heavy air nor the 
crowds of people who get in each other’s way. I 
don’t have to live alone in the tower because the 
monks in the hospice up there are my good 
friends. You know where it is, don’t you? ” 

“ No,” replied Yinzi, “ and I don’t even know 
what kind of place it is.” 

“ It is a good place,” said the old man. “ They 
receive there in winter poor travellers who cannot 
go on for the cold and the masses of snow, and 
whom they often find lying outside half frozen. 
The good monks who live in the hospice fetch 
them in to a warm fire, then give them strengthen¬ 
ing food and drink till they are able to travel on 
their way. They are my very best friends, and 
when the boys drive the cattle home in the 

autumn, I go up to live with them. You may 

156 



VINZI, TAKING UP HIS PIPE, HAD BEGUN TO PLAT A MELODY 



































V ' ? -'' 

' 














































































































HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


have seen the hospice, for it is just a little way up 
in that direction.” 

“ Oh, yes, I remember it now,” exclaimed 
Vinzi, for the picture of a big stone house on the 
road rose before him. He remembered having 
seen it on his walk and he recalled how still and 
dead everything about it had seemed, exactly as 
if no one lived there. 

“ A warm chimney corner is always ready for 
me there,” continued the old man. “I sit there 
all winter long and hear many a good word from 
the monks. Once in a while I see a poor wretch 
who would have perished miserably but for their 
help. After being cared for he is able to take up 
his load again with fresh courage. I hear things 
about the world once in a while that make me glad 
that I am so far away. 

“ I can well believe it,” replied Vinzi 
understandingly. 

“ How would it be if w r e made a little music 
now? ” asked the grandfather after a pause. 
Then he set the empty pitcher, the plate and knife 
under the bench in order to make more room. 
“ What would you like best to play? ” 

Vinzi, taking up his pipe, had begun to play 
a melody. 


157 


VINZI 


It pleased his listener so much that he had to 
repeat it straightway. As soon as he had finished 
it the second time the grandfather said, “ That 
was a beautiful thing. Was it a hymn? ” 

“ Yes,” said Vinzi. 

“How did you learn that? Boys usually 
whistle quite different tunes. Where did you find 
it? ” the old man wanted to know. 

“ I didn’t find it. I play the tune as I hear it 
sung. Mother sings such a song with us at home 
every night,” Vinzi declared. 

“ Do you know more like that? ” the grand¬ 
father inquired. 

“ Oh yes, lots more,” Vinzi assured him. 

“ I’d love to know if you could play me a song 
I heard only once in my life. I would give a 
great deal if I could hear it again. But all I 
know about it is the refrain at the end of each 
verse; perhaps you could recognize it from that.” 

“ It would be better if you could sing me parts 
of it,” said Vinzi. 

“ No, no, boy, I can’t sing any more,” the 
grandfather remonstrated, “ but I can tell you 
what the song was about and how the ending 
went. You see I was not always as happy as I 
am now. Of course when I was young like you I 

158 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 

was happy, for I had a mother who watched over 
me as yours apparently does who teaches you such 
nice songs. My father was dead and I had com¬ 
rades who wanted me to go out with them into 
the world to seek adventures. As I wanted to 
go so much, I had to do it against her will. We 
went and travelled far, sometimes as soldiers, 
sometimes as workmen. It was a wild life, but 
you couldn’t understand that yet. Finally, I 
couldn’t bear it any longer. I begged them to 
turn back and start a new existence. But they 
would not hear of it, so I returned alone. It had 
been a long time since I had written to my mother 
or heard from her. When I came home I found 
that she was dead. 4 She wouldn’t have gotten 
sick if you had stayed at home,’ our neighbor said 
to me. These words were deeply burnt into my 
soul. I wanted to begin a new life and redeem 
myself. But I could find no joy in anything. 
My conscience constantly reproached me and 
troubled me, and I realized I could never atone 
for her death. One night when I couldn’t sleep 
for remorse I cried aloud to Heaven: £ Oh, 
mother, you were always ready to help me 
before! Please help me now, or don’t I deserve 

it? ’ On awakening in the morning I clearly 

159 


VINZI 


heard my mother’s voice saying, ‘ Go to church, 
Klaus, the bells are ringing.’ She had always 
said this to me every Sunday morning during 
her life-time. I jmnped out of bed and found 
that it was really Sunday. I hadn’t been to 
church for a long while, but that day I went 
again. At first I could not follow the pastor’s 
words. But suddenly I heard, ‘ And our Lord 
came down from Heaven to bring us mercy and 
forgiveness and keep us from perishing in our 
misery. And He gave us back our joy! ’ That 
was clearly meant for me and it went through 
me like a ray of sunshine. Then came the song 
I spoke of. I could understand every word of it 
because it told exactly how I felt at that mo¬ 
ment. At the end of every verse came the fol¬ 
lowing refrain: 

‘ For the blessed song of mercy 
Thrills our hearts forevermore.’ 

“I have never forgotten it. From then on 
I went to church whenever the bells called 
me and I heard many comforting words there 
that made me glad again. Do you think you 
could play me the song now? ” 

Vinzi would gladly have done the grand¬ 
father’s bidding, but he did not know the song. 

160 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


“ Then play me one of your own, I love to hear 

them, too,” said the grandfather comfortingly, 
for he realized the boy was not able to fulfil 
his wish. 

Vinzi did so willingly and kept playing one 
piece after the other until loud calls and cries 
from the distance showed him that the boys were 
starting to come home. 

Quickly rising, Vinzi asked the grandfather’s 
leave to go. The latter agreed that it was high 
time. He could not comprehend, however, how 
quickly the afternoon had flown. “ Can you come 
soon again? ” he asked, and added, “ Please tell 
your uncle Lorenz that I shall expect you soon 
again. Just let me say one more word. I wish 
you could teach our boys to play, too. That 
would give me something worth hearing when 
you are gone.” 

Vinzi told the old man that he was already 
teaching them. Unfortunately they always failed 
to play the melodies smoothly. They were much 
better at singing and quickly learned to sing 
new songs. 

“ All right, teach them some of your songs 

then. I suppose that you know others beside 

the hymns? ” 

11 


161 


VINZI 


“ Yes, I have heard some from uncle Lorenz. 
If I only had words to one I know, I could teach 
them that,” answered Vinzi. 

“ Then you are like me. I forget the words, 
too, but you are still too young to do that,” was 
the old man’s opinion. 

“ I haven’t forgotten them. I never knew 
them,” said Vinzi seriously. 

The old man measured him with a penetrating 
glance, trying to see if this was meant to be a joke. 
But Vinzi looked far too earnest. “ How can you 
know a song if it has no words? ” he asked. 

“ I know a few words of it and the way it 
should sound, but it is so hard to make up enough 
words for a whole song, and I can’t do it. When 
I was sitting among the roses this morning, I 
heard the song and I could sing it, except for the 
words. If only some one could write me a song.” 

Vinzi looked longingly up to the grandfather. 

“ Maybe I know a person who could do it,” 
replied the latter, very pleased at the possibility 
of helping Vinzi. “ What would your song 
be about? ” 

“ About the alp-roses and the sunshine on 

them. The sunshine on the mountains and the 

162 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


foaming water and all the beautiful things I 
saw there.” 

Vinzi’s eyes sparkled as he eagerly described 
this. The melody he had heard kept going in his 
head and he could barely keep himself from sing¬ 
ing it aloud. 

“ I’ll let Pater Silvanus know about this and 
we’ll see what he can do.” 

With this the grandfather shook Vinzi’s hand 
once more. Then the boy ran down the mountain 
without stopping once till he had reached his 
uncle’s house. Loud cries came from the pump 
where his three cousins were just going through 
their daily ablution. All rushed towards him and 
wanted to know what he had done all day, at the 
same time telling him about their own happen¬ 
ings. In the middle of it all Russli pulled his 
jacket confidentially, for he had an important 
communication to make. Finally, he was able to 
make himself heard. “ I did not pinch any all 
day, not even one.” 

For reward Vinzi drew a beautiful new pipe 
from his pocket. 

Vinzi had acquired such skill in carving pipes 
that he had rapidly made it that morning while 

sitting among the roses. 

163 


VINZI 


Uncle Lorenz and his aunt greeted him as 
heartily as if they had not seen him for a long 
while. After he had given the grandfather’s 
message to his uncle, the latter replied, “ Yes, yes, 
go up there as often as you please, only be sure 
to come home to us in the evening.” 

The aunt joined in, too, adding, “ It would 
suit me best if things should never change and 
Vinzi could stay with us always.” 

When Vinzi soon after sat on his threshold he 
had a great many things to think over. His 
thoughts kept him so busy that he would have 
liked to dispense with sleeping altogether and sit 
there all night. 

He was still filled with the grandfather’s 
story, which had made a tremendous impression 
upon him. While listening to it he had had an 
idea, which since then had grown more vivid. 
Now the time seemed to have come to carry it out. 

Raising the pipe to his lips he quietly began to 
play to himself. Sometimes he paused, silently 
listening to what he heard. Then he hummed 
again as the melodies were slowly taking shape. 
Vinzi looked about him. All the houses round 
about were dark, but all the stars sparkled down 
on him so radiantly that he finally grew silent and 

164 


HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN 


looked in pious awe at the joyfully gleaming 
sky above. 

“Oh, now I know it!” he cried suddenly. 
Raising his pipe again he lured from it the most 
tripping, happy tunes. Quite satisfied he at last 
closed his little door and lay happily down on his 
fragrant couch of hay. 

The music seemed really to begin now, for he 
felt that whole choruses of angels were singing 
down to him from the shining stars. But Vinzi 
only heard this in his slumbers, for as soon as he 
had touched his pillow he was fast asleep. 


CHAPTER VII 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


TREAT song rehearsal now took place 



every day on the pasture. Vinzi had 


formed a chorus of all the boys having 
good voices. Some, of course, could not sing, 
while others did not care to do it; also some of the 
cow-herds had to remain with the cattle. The re¬ 
hearsals took up a lot of time because Vinzi de¬ 
manded the little bit he taught them every day 
should be perfectly sung. He could not bear 
false notes and whenever he heard one he cried 
out as if a wasp had stung him. He then made 
them repeat the whole passage again. Vinzi had 
long known that Jos and Vereli had the best and 
truest voices and so he chose Jos as leader for the 
high voices and Vereli for the alto voices. Besides 
doing splendid work in singing, the two boys 
proved most helpful in keeping the other singers 
in order. When any of the boys knew anything 
by heart, they wished to sing right out as, soon as 

Vinzi began to play. But Jos and Vereli realized 

166 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


that this would not do, so they had to restrain the 
eager singers till their time came. 

The following Sunday had been chosen by 
Vinzi for the performance. He would have 
gladly waited, if it had been necessary, but his 
chorus was perfectly trained. It was the most 
suitable day in the week, as most of the boys had 
their freedom that afternoon. 

Jos and Vinzi wandered up the mountain-side 
with their little troupe of singers. On their 
journey up, other boys from neighboring cottages 
joined them. Many even wanted to go along as 
listeners. In that way a considerable number had 
gathered together before they all approached 
the tower. 

The grandfather was sitting, as usual, in the 
sunshine on his bench, and a cool mountain breeze 
was fanning his deeply-tinted cheeks. He looked 
questioningly at the approaching boys. Vinzi, 
Jos and Vereli, the leaders, came to within a few 
feet of the old man, and the others grouped them¬ 
selves about in a semi-circle. Now Vinzi began 
to play. At first he seemed to begin a gay tune, 
but soon the instrument took up a sad and serious 
air. Finally the tones seemed to weep and sob as 

if some one were pleading for mercy. 

167 


VINZI 


At this point the chorus took up the following 
words, quietly giving a ray of hope: 

“ But the blessed song of mercy.” 

The lamenting tones of the pipe vibrated anew till 
the chorus sang a second time, this time louder and 
in fuller tones: 

“ But the blessed song of mercy.” 

Once more the pipe took up its pleading melody, 
but the chorus now took up the refrain with full 
strength and the words this time sounded like the 
veriest jubilation: 

“ But the blessed song of mercy 

Resounds through all eternity.” 

The pipe joined in here with notes of triumph, 
and together with the voices all ended in a happy 
song of joy. 

Everything was quiet as the grandfather sat 
motionless with his hands folded on his knees. 
One of the boys started to run away, then more 
followed, and soon all of them were hurrying 
towards the green meadow where the cows from 
the valley were grazing. Here they found their 
comrades who were in charge of the cattle. Vereli 
alone had remained beside Jos and Vinzi, but he 
also disappeared, because such quiet was not long 
to his taste. 


168 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


When the grandfather raised his glance he 
seemed to return from some far-away place. 

“You sang me a beautiful song,” he said 
kindly. “ Where did you find it? I suppose 
you taught it to the others, Vinzi? ” 

“ I got the idea from you,” replied Vinzi. 

“ Hm, hm,” said the grandfather, “You seem 
to comprehend pretty well what one says to you. 
But where did you find the music? ” 

“ It came to me because I wanted to sing you 
the song you could not remember,” said Vinzi. 

“It is very good of you to give an old man 
such pleasure. But wait! I nearly forgot some¬ 
thing,” said the grandfather, searching about in 
his pockets. “ I have thought of you, too, for I 
told Pater Silvanus about your wanting a certain 
kind of song. You can see how good he is, for 
look! he brought it to me. The only condition he 
made is that you are to sing him the song when you 
have found the tune for it. Oh, here it is at last.” 

The grandfather now pulled out a long sheet 
of paper, which he gave to Vinzi. A song was 
written on it in firm large letters. 

“ I have to say something else, boys,” con¬ 
tinued the grandfather. “Jos, you know where 
the cellar is. Bring me the cheese which has been 

169 


VINZI 


cut, and one of the largest loaves of bread. Vinzi 
must go with you, because it is too heavy for you 
alone. Take it down to the boys who have sung 
for me today. You can have a little feast to¬ 
gether, for you have made one for me, too. Take 
a cup out of the kitchen so you can take turns 
drinking. Xaver can milk for you the cow r s that 
give the best milk.” 

The grandfather always called Vereli by his 
real name, for the boy’s father and grandfather 
had been called the same before him. 

The two now ran away to do his bidding and 
found themselves puffing hard under their load 
while climbing the cellar-stairs. But they did so 
with radiant faces, for they happily looked for¬ 
ward to arriving at the pasture. 

“ Come again, boys,” said the grandfather, 
gratefully shaking their hands. “ Make some 
other Sunday happy for me sometime with your 
beautiful singing.” 

All the singers had remained on the huge 
pasture with the Tower Boys, and yells of delight 
greeted the laden couple. They settled down im¬ 
mediately to begin the feast. Their appetites 

proved astonishing, for many of the boys from the 

170 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


small cottages thereabout usually got only po¬ 
tatoes for their daily fare. 

Yinzi had settled a little behind the close circle. 
He wished to be alone in order to read the words 
of his song. The melody was still haunting him, 
and he wondered if the words and music would 
harmonize. Pulling out the paper, he found that 
he could read the fine clear writing without 
trouble. He read it over and over again. Sud¬ 
denly a terrific longing drew him up to the field 
of roses, a longing which he found impossible to 
resist. Getting up, he quietly slipped away from 
the busy feast-makers. Without stopping he ran 
up the slope into the midst of the marvellous rose 
field and settled down on his chosen spot, sur¬ 
rounded on every side by thick clumps of bloom. 
Here he could hear his song again and sing it to 
himself. He pulled out his sheet and read: 

Behold there in the evening light 
The clouds like roses glowing! 

No thorns have these, their grace to spite. 

No briars mar the roses bright 
That in the clouds are glowing. 

And in this light how full of glee 
Outfoams the sparkling brooklet! 

White as the snow its garment free. 

How pure it is, how fair to see 
The gaily foaming brooklet! 

171 


VINZI 


Majestic in the sunset’s ray 
The ancient peaks are standing. 

For though poor mortals go astray 
And like the grass must fade away, 

The mountains still are standing. 

Within the golden gleaming sky 
Full many a grief is melted. 

Ye valley dwellers, come on high, 

Come all, for here, where heaven is nigh, 

Full many a grief is melted. 

That evening Vinzi came tearing down the 
mountain-side so late that the whole family had 
been gathered together before the house looking 
for him on every side. Jos had returned several 
hours ago and had related to them the grand¬ 
father’s delight at the music, also how he had 
treated them to a feast and how Vinzi had sud¬ 
denly disappeared, no one knew whither. They 
had all vainly guessed where he might be. One 
member of the family after another had gone out¬ 
side to see if he was coming home, till finally all of 
them were on the lookout. He came running 
along at last. 

“ Vinzi, Vinzi,” the uncle called to him, “ We 
almost thought you had run away.” 

“ Oh, I’ll never do that, “ Vinzi assured him, 
panting hard. “ I was sitting among the alpine- 

roses and entirely forgot the time.” 

172 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


“ I’d do just the opposite,” declared Faz. “ If 
I had to sit up there away from everybody and 
with not even a cow to talk to, I’d have to think all 
the time, I wonder how late it is? ” 

“Perhaps you made some pipes?” Russli 
wanted to find out. 

“No, Russli, I’ll make some more tomorrow,” 
Vinzi replied with understanding. 

The father urged them to go into the house, 
for he longed for a little Sunday music, and first 
of all for supper, because the mother* had refused 
to give them any till Vinzi should come back. 
They were all very hungry. 

During the next few days Vinzi spent many 
a happy hour in his beloved rose field, which he 
could do with a clear conscience. Jos knew what 
was going on and he saw to it that Vinzi got the 
fine morning hours to himself. He therefore sent 
him up as soon as they reached the pasture, for he 
was dreadfully eager to learn a new song. After a 
few days Vinzi called his chorus together, and by 
this time they made such rapid progress that he 
had to wonder at them. All they had to do was 
to follow the melody the pipe was playing, which 
was most pleasing, besides being easy to re¬ 
member. The chorus sang with great enthu- 

173 


VINZI 


siasm, for the words were easily understood and 
stayed in their memory without difficulty. They 
always hated to stop when the time came. Vinzi 
had only to accompany the song a few times with 
Jos and Vereli as leaders and all the boys on every 
pasture could sing it. 

When they got together in the morning one 
would cry to the other: “ Let’s sing our song,” for 
they fully felt that it was their very own. 

When Sunday came, all the musicians pro¬ 
ceeded up to the grandfather, who having already 
got wind of the affair, looked forward eagerly to 
their visit. The number was even larger than the 
first time, and the performers in their eagerness 
had barely reached his bench when they began 
their song. The volume of their voices increased 
till the end. 

“ Bravo, bravo! ” exclaimed the grandfather 
delighted. “ Once more! Once more! ” 

With undiminished enthusiasm the whole per¬ 
formance was repeated. 

When Vinzi saw that the singers went on 

smoothly without him, he signalled to Jos and 
Vereli. Lightly as lizards the three slipped 
quickly away. 

This had been planned beforehand, for Vinzi 

174 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


was eager to do what the grandfather had bidden 
him do; but as he was convinced that so much 
noise would be unseemly for the hospice, he had 
decided not to let the others know where he was 
going. If they had known, he probably could not 
have prevented the boys from running after them. 

As soon as they had reached the road, the three 
boys were able to wander along a little more 
slowly, and they soon saw the large building of 
stone which Vinzi remembered so clearly. What 
a terrible impression it had made on him I How 
silently it lay there, and how frightened he had 
been when he had thought it might be his uncle’s 
home! How different it looked now as it lay 
peacefully in the sunshine, and seemed even to 
beckon to the boys! Vinzi knew now that here 
lived the good monks who helped half-frozen 
travellers in winter as they struggled up the 
mountain in bad weather. When they stood be¬ 
fore the door, Vereli pulled the bell-rope so 
mightily that they could hear it re-echo inside. 
Soon after a very small old man opened the heavy 
door a trifle. 

“ That’s the porter,” said Vereli. 

“ What do you want? ” asked the old man. 

175 


VINZI 


“ We want to see Pater Silvanus,” quickly 
replied Vereli. 

The old man, after examining the three sus¬ 
piciously, said finally in a measured tone: “ Well, 
boys, Pater Silvanus can’t be brought out for a 
joke. He has usually very different customers 
from you. What do you want from him? ” 

“ We had better go if Pater Silvanus has no 
time for us,” said Vinzi timidly. 

But Vereli could not be disposed of so easily. 
“ We have a message for him from grandfather,” 
he said unruffled. “ Grandfather told us to give it 
to Pater Silvanus himself.” 

At this the old man opened the door a little 
wider and let the three boys enter. “ You can 
wait here,” he said curtly, leaving them and going 
down a dim, long corridor, where they could still 
hear his dragging footsteps after they could not 
see him any more. 

After a while a firm and rapid step came 
towards them. 

“ Here he comes,” said Vereli, unabashed, 
when the monk with a long garment stood 
before them and examined them with penetrat¬ 
ing glances. 

“You are one of the boys from the tower, you 

176 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


carry their stamp about you,” he said, turning to 
Vereli. “ And who are your companions? ” 

“He belongs to Lorenz Lesa, near the chapel, 
and he is his cousin, Vinzi Lesa, from Leuk,” 
explained Vereli. 

A curious smile flitted over the monk’s feat¬ 
ures at the mention of the last name. Looking 
at Vinzi once more, he said pleasantly, “ Come 
with me.” 

Then he led them through the long, echoing 
corridor, and after opening a door in the rear, 
bade them enter. It was a very large room with 
dark panelled walls, against which ancient leather 
chairs with high backs were ranged. In the 
middle of it stood a huge square table, but Vinzi 
could not take his eyes from an object he had 
noticed in a corner. It looked slightly like a high 
cupboard and somewhat resembled Alida’s piano, 
but was a trifle higher. Standing in front of the 
trio, the monk asked the grandfather’s wishes. 

Vinzi felt that it was for him to speak. He 
expressed himself as willing to sing the song 
which the kind Father had sent him through 
the grandfather. 

“ Good, I’ll be glad to hear it,” said the monk. 

12 177 


VINZI 


Upon noticing that Vinzi still hesitated, he added: 
“ What else do you want to ask me, boy? ” 

“ Shall I sing it or may I play? ” asked Vinzi. 

“ Play, for I must hear your pipe,” Pater 
Silvanus replied with a friendly smile. 

They lost no time and began. Vinzi, entirely 
sure of his two singers and much encouraged by 
the monk’s great kindness, played, not the 
melody, but a little accompaniment which he had 
practiced for himself. 

At the end of the song Pater Silvanus glanced 
at Vinzi affectionately. Then laying his hand on 
the boy’s shoulder and looking him in the eyes he 
said, “ I’d like to know something, boy, and you 
must be sure to tell me the truth. Have you ever 
heard this melody before or one that was a little 
like it to some other words? ” 

“ No, it belongs to this song. I only found it 
when I got your words from the grandfather,” 
Vinzi replied guilelessly, looking up at the ques¬ 
tioner with wide, honest eyes. 

“ I’d like to hear the song once more,” said the 
monk. “ Don’t leave out either the verses or 
the accompaniment.” 

The three began again, happily, for to be 

178 


STILL MORE MUSIC 

asked to repeat it was a sign that it had pleased 
the monk. 

“ Now,” said Pater Silvanus, when they had 
come to the end, “You must hear how my har¬ 
monium sounds to it. I wonder if you’ll like it? ” 

Going up to the big high box, he opened it and 
began to play. 

Vinzi listened breathlessly. What wonder¬ 
ful deeply gripping tones! His whole heart 
was shaken. 

And was it possible ? It sounded so strangely 
familiar; yes, it was his own melody with the 
accompaniment the pipe had played. But how 
different, how full and rich! 

Vinzi stood still in silent rapture when the 
tones had died away. 

“ Oh, that was beautiful, much more beautiful 
than our music,” he said, quite carried away with 
the beautiful sounds. 

“ It was your song, boy, and I did not have 
to add much,” said the monk kindly. “ Come 
nearer; have you never before heard such 
an instrument? ” 

“ No,” answered Vinzi, after stepping quite 
near to the harmonium. “ But I have heard 
a piano.” 


179 


VINZI 


The monk asked Vinzi what music he had 
heard on the piano and Vinzi related the story of 
the short music lessons which he had enjoyed 
so much. 

Stroking Vinzi’s curly hair a few times, the 
monk smiled sympathetically. Then he asked, 
“ Do you think you would get pleasure from 
learning how to play my instrument? ” 

Vinzi hardly knew if he had heard aright, he 
was so thrilled. With glowing eyes he looked 
silently at the monk. 

“ Well, I suppose you mean yes.” 

“ A thousand times yes,” Vinzi finally was 
able to say. 

“Good! Tell your uncle Lorenz about it 
and let me know tomorrow morning what he says. 
If he doesn’t object, we can play a little 
every morning.” 

Giving his hand to the boys, Pater Silvanus, 
after saying a kind word to each of them in turn, 
opened the door and let them out, and they 
strolled gaily down the mountain-side. Vinzi 
was walking in a perfect dream beside his com¬ 
panions, who were both talking with animation. 
He kept on hearing Pater Silvanus’ words, 
“ Would you get pleasure from learning how to 

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play my instrument? ” Give him pleasure? It 
was a happiness he could hardly comprehend. 

Yereli had turned off and gone back to the 
tower without Vinzi’s noticing it, and before long 
the other two were home. During supper time 
Jos related to his parents how friendly Pater 
Silvanus had been and what he had proposed to 
do for Vinzi, if his father did not object. 

“ Of course not,” said the latter at once, “ I 
am glad that Vinzi has the chance to learn some¬ 
thing fine.” 

Early next morning Vinzi came to Pater 
Silvanus and repeated his uncle’s words with a 
radiant face. 

“ Then let us begin at once,” said the monk, 
leading the boy to the great room with the 
harmonium. 

These lessons differed considerably from 
Alida’s, and the teacher seemed to forget the time 
as much as his pupil. One hour and a second 
hour had gone by, when the sudden sound of a 
bell reminded Pater Silvanus how late it really 
was. Quickly closing his instrument and giving 
the boy his hand, he said, “ We’ll go on tomorrow, 
but be sure to come as early as today.” 

Vinzi went away so filled with happiness that 

181 


VINZI 


he must run right over to the grandfather and tell 
him all the wonderful and unexpected things that 
had happened to him. No one could have been 
able to share his joy better than the grandfather, 
who was as pleased as if it had all happened 
to him. 

Vinzi told of everything that the Pater had 
already explained and taught him, and he did not 
leave without giving his solemn promise often to 
bring reports of his progress and at the same 
time pipe the old man a little song. A glorious 
succession of days followed for Vinzi, and the 
further Pater Silvanus took him the more his 
burning desire grew to get still further. Pater 
Silvanus himself seemed to find pleasure in the 
lessons, for he taught his pupil every morning, 
and sometimes the lessons lasted fully three hours. 
When the monk had to leave for other duties, he 
let Vinzi stay and practice what he had prepared 
with him. The boy sat many an hour in the quiet 
house. No noise ever interrupted him, and the 
time flew by unnoticed. When the sun finally 
slanted across the harmonium through a certain 
window, he knew that evening was near. Quickly 
shutting the instrument, he noiselessly went down 

the long corridor and out to the road. This gave 

182 


STILL MORE MUSIC 

him time enough to visit the grandfather and find 
his cousins and their comrades still gathered to¬ 
gether. He was greeted with fresh enthusiasm 
every time. A chorus of various frightful noises 
always followed his arrival, because every owner 
of a pipe wanted to show him what he had learned 
to play. Vinzi could not help wondering at the 
number of boys who owned pipes since he had left 
the pasture. The boys had possibly found out 
how to make them themselves. 

His bargain with Russli had been firmly kept. 
Every morning going up or in the evening coming 
home the little one was inseparable from Vinzi. 

“ Russli, you have enough pipes now,” said 
Vinzi one day while he was wandering home with 
his little comrade behind the cows. He had just 
delivered his daily pipe and added: “ In all this 
time you should have learnt not to tickle the cows, 
Russli, without always expecting a reward.” 

“ And so I have,” Russli agreed, “ Because I 
have so much to do nowadays.” 

Vinzi could not help wondering at Russli’s 
quick response; in fact all the little boy’s mis¬ 
chievous deeds had really come only from idleness. 

“ What keeps you so busy? ” asked Vinzi. 

183 


VINZI 


“ I’ll show it to you, but no one else must know 
about it,” replied Russli mysteriously. 

He led Vinzi away from the road to the old 
larch trees, where the two used to sit in the old 
days when Vinzi had made his first pipes. 

“Tell me something, Russli,” Vinzi began 
again, “ did you put all your pipes in a pile to¬ 
gether or did you give them to the boys who had 
none. So many have good pipes now and not the 
kind they used to make themselves.” 

“ I don’t ever give away my beautiful pipes,” 
replied Russli, quite hurt at a supposition throw¬ 
ing doubt on the sensibleness of his actions. 
“ Come, you can see for yourself.” 

They were standing at the exact place where 
Vinzi used to sit on a high mossy place beside the 
fragrant violets. Stooping down, Russli picked 
up several pieces of moss-covered earth which lay 
there cleverly joined together. He put them 
aside and shovelled away the loose earth under¬ 
neath with both hands, disclosing a rather large 
hole. After lifting out a strong folded paper 
serving as cover, Russli asked his companion to 
look in. To his intense surprise Vinzi saw a col¬ 
lection of most varied objects: piles of nuts and 
dried prunes, match boxes, colored marbles, old 

184 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


knives and tobacco boxes, a little pump, a leather 
purse and a watch-chain of brass. 

“ What is this, Russli? To whom do all these 
things belong? ” asked Yinzi, truly astonished. 

“ They all belong to me. I traded one of 
these things for every pipe you gave me. Do you 
see now? ” asked Russli, proudly glancing at 
his storehouse. 

“But what are you going to do with them 
all? ” Yinzi inquired, still puzzled. 

“I’ll keep them and then I’ll trade them 
again for something better. You see the pipes 
are only common wood, after all,” Russli said 
confidentially. 

Yinzi had to laugh. 

“ You must become a tradesman, Russli, for 
you seem to understand all about it. But you 
won’t have anything more to do now, since our 
bargain is off.” 

“ Oh yes, I’ll have just as much work as ever. 
I first uncover my hole every morning, dig away 
the earth and count everything to see if anything 
has been stolen in the night. Then I have to pack 
and cover them up and put on the moss in such a 

way that no one can find the place. In the after- 

185 


VINZI 


noon I have to sit on the lookout so that no one 
finds my cave and takes my things.” 

Vinzi could not comprehend these watchful 
exertions on behalf of such treasure, for he totally 
lacked the tradesman’s spirit. He was glad, how¬ 
ever, that this new activity kept the little fellow 
busy. He was convinced that he would leave the 
cows in peace now, even without his usual reward. 

The month of August had passed and the first 
fog was drifting over the mountains. Several 
times messages had been brought up from Leuk 
to say that the time was drawing near for Vinzi 
to come home. The boy’s parents felt that they 
had taken advantage of their relatives’ kindness 
long enough and they begged their cousin to take 
the next opportunity of sending the boy home 
with someone. Word had always been sent back 
to Leuk to the effect that the summer was not 
over and that no one wanted to let Vinzi go. 
Furthermore he was so well and happy that the 
parents might let him prolong his stay on the 
mountain. Father Lorenz was just entering the 
room where his wife was preparing the evening 
meal with her accustomed calm. He sat down on 
a chair, for no special work had to be done till the 
boys returned with the cattle and after a mo- 

186 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


merit’s thought, said, “ Have you noticed how 
much Vinzi has changed lately? ” 

“ In what way? ” asked his wife. 

“ He seems suddenly to have grown a whole 
year or two older,” said Lorenz, “ ever since he 
began to spend most of his time with Pater 
Silvanus. I notice it in the way he plays his pipe 
and the way he sings and talks. It is as if the boy 
had been transplanted from the shadow into the 
sunshine. Everything in him seems to have 
blossomed out suddenly.” 

“ I don’t quite understand what you mean,” 
replied the woman, “ but I always said that Vinzi 
looks as fresh and neat as a young appletree in 
bloom. And I say another thing besides. If 
Vinzi were a beggar-boy, I’d adopt him right 
away and I’d love him just as much as my own 
boys. I can say that and I’ll stick to it.” 

“ Well, so you can,” said the man with a smile. 
“ But do you know, if Vinzi had been a vagabond 
without the kind of mother they say he has, he 
would never have been the same. He belongs to 
a well-brought-up family and comes from parents 
who look after their children. That’s the reason 
why he is so nice.” 

Heavy steps approached the door at that mo- 

187 


VINZI 


ment—clearly not the pattering the boys usually 
made, which was always accompanied with loud 
yodels and cries. 

“Who is outside?” asked Lorenz, opening 
the door. 

A well-knit man whom he knew as a fruit 
merchant from Leuk stood outside. Lorenz im¬ 
mediately offered him his hand. 

“ I haven’t seen you for a long time, Lesa. 

* How are things with you? I come with a message 
from your cousin down there and he sends you 
his love,” said the man heartily, shaking Lorenz 
by the hand. 

The latter was a little startled, because he felt 
sure that the visit had been made on Vinzi’s be¬ 
half. The man had often travelled over the 
mountain before and had practically never come 
to see him. He invited him to step inside and 
make himself at home. But this could not be 
done as the merchant had a wagon and two pairs 
of lively horses waiting for him. He only wanted 
to deliver his message from Vinzenz Lesa, who 
had only heard yesterday that a team was going 
across the mountain. He had, therefore, not had 
time to write a letter. The farmer had been 
anxious to use this good opportunity of having his 

188 


9 


STILL MORE MUSIC 

boy brought home. All the fruit dealer added was 
that he expected to return in two days, when his 
business was done, and take the boy along. 

Lorenz took the matter so much to heart that 
he could say nothing. He saw that Vinzi must 
leave in two days. 

I’ll be here on Tuesday at eight in the morn¬ 
ing, Lesa,” concluded the man, casting a ques¬ 
tioning look at the silent farmer. “ I suppose you 
understand me.” 

“ Oh, yes, only too well,” replied the other. 
“ The hoy will be ready for you in time, you can 
count on that.” 

He followed the man to the road, where stood 
a great wagon loaded with sacks and harnessed to 
four strong horses. Just as the big team drove 
off with loud tinkling of bells, the boys came down 
singing and shouting with the cattle. 

Lorenz walked towards them with a heavy 
heart. Should he give his merry boys the un¬ 
welcome news at once? Then all their happiness 
would vanish at once. Lorenz had a soft heart 
and found himself unable to do it. Greeting the 
boys in a carefree manner, he let everything go its 
accustomed round. 

After supper the singing began as usual, and 

189 


VINZI 


they sang one song after another, as had grown to 
be the custom of the house. They sang as merrily 
as larks in spring, only the father could not quite 
join in heartily, for a heavy load was on his heart. 

He realized that he must tell them that even¬ 
ing, as the time was already so short. Just after 
the mother had said the customary words, “ I sup¬ 
pose we have to stop now, nine o’clock has struck,” 
he made his announcement in a few clear words. 
Quite thunderstruck, everyone sat silent with sur¬ 
prise and sorrow. The mother was the first to re¬ 
gain her speech. 

“ Well, I hope you said that it was out of the 
question and that we cannot give up the boy at 
such short notice,” she said with an animation not 
usual to her. “ I’d like to know what he means 
in coming here and trying to rob us of the boy 
without the slightest ceremony, the way one might 
pull off a branch from a hedge. I hope you gave 
him a proper talking to.” 

“ The man has not come to do us harm,” 
Lorenz said calmly. “You mustn’t forget that 
Vinzi’s parents can call him home whenever they 
please. Won’t you allow them some interest in 
the boy? Besides, no one can deny that the op¬ 
portunity is splendid.” 


190 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


By this time the boys also had regained control 
of their emotions and lost no time in giving vent 
to such outcries and objections that the father 
suggested they all go to bed. Often good ideas 
had come over night during sleep, he said, and 
these words proved to have an excellent effect. 
Each boy thought that a good idea might come to 
him which might prevent Vinzi’s departure. The 
mother was hoping that the father would find 
some obstacle to the journey, for all his best ideas 
always came over night. But by saying that the 
best thoughts come over night the father had 
meant to say that they would in time realize that 
they would have to bear the inevitable. 

Vinzi had not said a word. When he sat on 
his threshold later on, looking up at the stars, he 
was conscious of a deep inner conflict. He looked 
forward to seeing his mother and Stefeli again, 
yes and his father, too. Maybe the latter would 
be kind to him now as he used to be in the old 
days Vinzi remembered so well, when he would let 
the boy ride on his knees and would say to him, 
“ Just ride ahead, Vinzi; as soon as you can ride 
you shall have a horse.” Vinzi could not quite re¬ 
member when his father had begun to treat him 

less kindly. He hardly even knew the reason why. 

191 


VINZI 


On the other hand was the full realization that 
all his marvellous life on the mountain with these 
kind people had come to an end. Yes, and the 
music, all the music, too. There was no one who 
would be able to help him at home, no one. Should 
the whole thing really be over for good and all? 
His heart contracted painfully at this thought, 
but the next moment he found joy again in the 
happy anticipation of going home and seeing his 
loved ones. 

Even if the music must stop when he got 
home, he would not entirely lose his good teacher, 
Pater Silvanus. As consolation remained the 
hope that he would probably return some day, and 
this thought was his last comfort before he went 
to sleep. 

In the morning there was no time for talk and 
arguments, for they had to make an early start. 
Jos and Faz were wandering off with the cows and 
Vinzi was just following with Russli, when Uncle 
Lorenz drew Vinzi to one side and said in a low 
voice, “ It can’t be helped Vinzi, and I am sure 
you’ll be glad to go home. I specially wanted to 
tell you so you can take leave of Pater Silvanus 
and the grandfather. It’s your last day, for the 
wagon will come for you tomorrow at eight.” 

192 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


This settled it for good. Vinzi went away 
silently, which was far from pleasing Russli. 
“ You ought to talk to me,” he said a little crossly 
after they had gone quite a distance. 

“ I can’t talk well today, something seems to 
choke me,” replied Vinzi. “ But don’t be un¬ 
happy. As soon as I get home I’ll send you some¬ 
thing for your collection.” 

“ You don’t need to go home at all,” Russli 
said with firm conviction. “ Faz has thought out 
something to stop your going. He told Jos about 
it at the pump. He is going on the street to¬ 
morrow morning to wait for the wagon, and as 
soon as it stops he means to climb up and say that 
he is the boy from Leuk. Then the man will drive 
off, and only when they come to the other side of 
the mountain will Faz jump down and say that he 
is not the right boy after all. Then he’ll run back. 
Do you see now? The man can’t do anything then 
for it will be too far for him to turn back.” 

Vinzi was not convinced that his trip could be 
prevented that way, but he felt quite touched that 
Faz was so anxious to keep him. He really had 
seen the least of Faz. 

<c What are you going to send me for my col¬ 
lection? ” Russli inquired. 

13 193 


VINZI 


“ I don’t want to tell you,” replied Vinzi. “ If 
it is a surprise, you’ll like it so much better.” 

“ Is it something to eat?” Russli asked, 
nevertheless. 

“ No, and not anything to drink, either,” said 
Vinzi, “ but I won’t tell you anything more about 
it or it won’t be a surprise.” 

After taking leave of Russli at the pasture 
Vinzi went up to the convent as usual. He had 
been told always to go straight to the large room 
and wait for Pater Silvanus there. This was 
usually only a short time, but when the Pater 
entered today, Vinzi did not stand in his usual 
mood of happy anticipation at the harmonium, 
and his eyes did not glisten. On the contrary he 
came up to the monk quite crushed, and after a 
questioning look sadly informed him that this 
was to be the last lesson, as he was going 
home tomorrow. 

“Oh, what a shame, what a shame!” said 
Pater Silvanus slowly. “ But won’t you be able 
to keep up your music at home? ” 

Vinzi fought as well as he could to keep back 
the tears at this question. Despite his downcast 

eyes his teacher saw that he had not been able 

194 


STILL MORE MUSIC 


to restrain them as he answered, “No, I don’t 
think so.” 

“ Courage, boy,” said Pater Silvanus, kindly 
patting him on the shoulder. “ Keep up your 
spirits! It is always lovely to go home again, and 
if God finds that music is the right thing for you, 
it is easy enough for Him to send someone into 
your path who will help you further. Besides, 
you are sure to come up to us again and as soon as 
you do, we’ll take it up again.” 

The monk had seized Vinzi’s hand in a 
fatherly way and led him out. In the doorway he 
gave the boy his blessing and heartily said, “ God 
protect you!” after which he took leave of 
his pupil. 

The boy had barely been able to mumble his 
thanks, for the tears were choking him. He felt 
intensely grateful that the teacher had made the 
leave-taking so short, because he could not 
possibly have controlled himself any longer. 

Vinzi went toward the place where the dark 
roses had bloomed. The bushes were still green, 
but few roses remained. 

He gazed about him once more. The sun had 
just parted the fog, and all about him began to 
gleam, the snow peaks, the mountain streams, the 

195 


VINZI 


walls of rock, and above all the deep blue sky. He 
was glad to see it once more. 

He next ran to the tower where the grand¬ 
father occupied his accustomed seat in the 
sunshine. 

“ You come early today; that is right,” he 
greeted the approaching figure. “ But what is 
wrong, boy? What is the matter? ” he added as 
soon as Yinzi stood before him. “ That certainly 
will make us all sad,” he replied, when Vinzi had 
informed him of the reason for his early visit. 
“ Do you know, boy, my hope has been all along 
that you would come and sing me my song in case 
I should die. But I might still be here next 
summer, so let us hope that you’ll be here again, 
too. We’ll part with that thought now.” The 
grandfather heartily shook Yinzi’s hand, as he 
was unwilling to detain him longer. His relatives 
probably expected him home soon, as it was his 
last day with them. 

Yinzi hurried straight home, for the grand¬ 
father probably was right. His aunt Josepha, 
who had meanwhile come to the conclusion that 
Yinzi’s departure could not be prevented, rejoiced 
when she saw him coming. She could now talk 
quietly to him a bit. The suddenness of it all had 

196 


STILL MORE MUSIC 

destroyed her accustomed calm and she had 
longed to see him. 

Aunt Josepha and Vinzi again sat together 
as on the day of his arrival. ITer happy frame of 
mind was fully restored when Vinzi assured her 
that he had no better wish than to come back to the 
mountain again another year. He hoped that 
he might be one of her household again and sleep 
in his lovely fragrant chamber. 

When the family sat together in the evening, 
Father Lorenz said, “ Come now! Singing is the 
best remedy against sad thoughts.” 

He began a song himself. The others, j oining 
in, kept it up right through the evening. 

Next day Faz’s plan did not succeed. Just as 
the brothers were ready to depart and were taking 
leave from Vinzi, they heard the repeated sounds 
of a whip. This warned Father Lorenz that the 
fruit dealer had arrived even earlier than he had 
said. As he could not leave his horses, he wanted 
to notify them of his coming and looking at the 
road a few steps away from the house, he saw that 
his signal had been understood. 

The whole family including even the inmates 

of the stable, strolled over to the street, and the 

197 


VINZI 


fruit dealer could not help wondering at the 
strange procession. 

Vinzi climbed up to his high seat, and after he 
had taken leave of each separately, the horses 
started off. All five gazed after Vinzi with 
genuine grief, and Russli alone felt slightly con¬ 
soled by the thought of the promised surprise. 

When the wagon passed the spot where the 
tower stood in the meadow, the whole edge of the 
road was peopled with a crowd of noisy boys. 
More and more seemed to gather and finally they 
thundered a loud “Hurrah! ” and cried “ Come 
again! ” which was repeated a second time in such 
a noisy way that the four horses actually reared. 
Black Vereli had been the instigator of this, and 
at the last greeting of the Tower Boys his voice 
could be distinctly heard above all others. 

At his bench alone sat the grandfather, waving 
his hat high in the air, and Vinzi replied by swing- 
inghis cap. 

In the convent a wdndow opened and a hand 
kindly waved good-bye to Vinzi. It was that of 
Pater Silvanus. 

After a short upward stretch by wild 
moimtain beeches and old gnarled fir-trees the 
drive quickly went downwards into the valley. 

198 


CHAPTER VIII 
UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


S TEFELI’S summer after Vinzi’s depart¬ 
ure had passed much more pleasantly than 
she could have forseen. This was due to 
Mr. Delrick, who never started off on a long walk 
without calling into the room and asking, “Can 
Stefeli come with me?” 

As the child had given up her life on the 
pasture since Vinzi had gone away, the mother 
always welcomed this opportunity of sending her 
out. Stefeli had really been obliged to sit at home 
a great deal, and the poor child could not help 
fretting and sighing. Every time she heard that 
question, she gladly tossed the horrid long stock¬ 
ing aside and skipped out into the sunshine. 
There was no end to all the things Stefeli dis¬ 
cussed with her companion. He was always 
interested in whatever she told him about herself 
and Vinzi, their life at home and on the pasture. 
He heard about the music lessons and the 
strange consequences they had brought, also 
how the members of the household differed on 
certain subjects. 


199 


VINZI 


In this way Mr. Delrick acquired a minute 
knowledge of the happenings in the Lesa house¬ 
hold. But he became intimate with the three 
members of the family in other ways besides. 
Vinzenz Lesa liked to spend his free evenings on 
the bench before his house. Here the walnut tree 
wafted to him the perfume of its fragrant leaves. 
When he smoked his pipe, he was always glad if 
Mr. Delrick came to talk to him, for the farmer 
loved to discuss the affairs of the world. Mr. 
Delrick who had a wide knowledge, could explain 
many things that were not quite clear to him and 
also showed a lively interest in everything con¬ 
nected with agriculture. They discussed the 
problems of the farm together, and even when 
Mr. Lesa was the instructor, Mr. Delrick’s sug¬ 
gestions proved very useful. Many changes 
and improvements were made on the place 
in consequence. 

Mr. Delrick’s conversation with Mrs. Lesa 
was very different. It always drifted to the same 
subject, even if they had begun to talk of some¬ 
thing else. This absorbing subject was Vinzi. 
The mother had told Mr. Delrick of Vinzi’s in¬ 
tense love of music from the time he had been a 
little lad, and how the father’s whole ambition was 

200 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


centered on bringing him up as a successful 
farmer. The father’s pride and joy consisted in 
the work he was doing and he naturally expected 
the boy to look after the property some day. 
This conflict filled her with deep anxiety. She 
saw no way out of the difficult situation and was 
constantly anticipating some great sorrow as the 
final outcome. 

Mr. Delrick was filled with sympathetic in¬ 
terest and tried to allay her anxiety. He com¬ 
forted her by saying that young boys often put 
aside such fancies, especially when a smiling 
future lay before them, as was the case with Vinzi. 
Her troublesome thoughts kept on recurring 
nevertheless, and it was hard for the mother to 
anticipate the future calmly. His sympathetic 
words seemed to ease her heart, however, and 
therefore he regularly led back to their usual sub¬ 
ject of conversation. 

In this way Mr. Delrick had succeeded in be¬ 
coming the special friend and confidant of every 
member of the little household. Whenever a 
question came up which was hard to solve, Stefeli, 
as well as her father and mother, said right away, 
“ We must ask Mr. Delrick, he’ll know,” or when 

201 


VINZI 


something was worrying them, “If we ask Mr. 
Delrick, he’ll tell us what to do.” 

When the good news was brought from the 
mountain that Vinzi was loved there by old and 
young and had grown so merry that everybody 
else had grown still more so, Mr. Delrick took as 

livelv an interest in the news as if he were a mem- 

* 

ber of the family, too. The mother remained 
rather quiet, but he as well as the father could not 
help hoping that the lad had at last found satis¬ 
faction in his work. He looked forward, there¬ 
fore, to the happy reunion of the little family in 
which he had grown so intimate before he 
left them. 

The day came when father Lesa had given his 
wife, in the presence of Mr. Delrick, the news 
of Vinzi’s homecoming in five days. Meeting an 
old acquaintance who was driving across the 
mountain, he had made use of the opportunity to 
ask him to bring his boy home. This the man had 
promised to do. 

The mother’s heart beat with joyous anticipa¬ 
tion, and Stefeli in her excitement could not sit 
still any longer but flew restlessly here and there 
in the most aimless fashion. She felt as if she 
could not possibly live through those days. She 

202 



UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


constantly counted the hours; if a day had twenty- 
four hours, five days had five times as many. Oh, 
that made a dreadful lot of hours. But she had 
reckoned the hours when she was asleep and 
luckily one did not feel those. So the counting 
had to begin anew. Strangely enough the fifth 
day had come at last and much sooner than she 
had dared to hope. 

Stefeli had returned from a stroll with Mr. 
Delrick just as her father had come in from the 
field. “ Vinzi may come any moment now,” he 
said to the mother. “ Let’s have supper so he can 
sit right down with us.” 

Mr. Delrick was called and they began to 
eat. Stefeli could scarcely swallow from nervous¬ 
ness, and the mother, too, could not disguise 
her agitation. 

“ Here he comes! ” suddenly cried the child, 
as she bounded away. 

None of the others had heard anything, but a 
few moments later Stefeli entered the room, 
triumphantly holding Vinzi’s hand. The joy of 
the parents at their son’s return was not noisy, 
but it could not be doubted. Vinzenz Lesa’s look 
betokened real pride when he led the boy up to 
Mr. Delrick. 


203 


VINZI 


The latter gazed at him keenly, for his 
thoughts had long been busy with him. He did 
not need to wonder when he saw the splendid lad 
who had so completely won his mother’s heart and 
upon whom his father had built his hopes. 

Everybody sat down, and Vinzi was asked to 
tell about his relatives. He grew constantly more 
lively and could not say enough of their kindness 
to him. When the father wished to know how 
the pasture up there had pleased him, Vinzi in 
blissful remembrance described the mountain- 
pasture to them. The violets up there filled the 
air with fragrance and the high larches spread 
their wide branches over the moss-covered stones. 
The cows grazed quietly between the trees so that 
their bells resounded far and wide like a song 
of peace. 

The mother asked if beautiful flowers grew on 
the pasture. Here Vinzi grew still more enthu¬ 
siastic and told them about the red field of roses 
which gleamed in the sunshine and from below 
made the whole mountain look like fire. Vinzi 
also spoke of his sleeping room and how he had 
loved to have his own little house which was filled 
with the delicious fragrance of hay. 

Father and mother looked quite amazed at 

204 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


their son. Never before had he spoken with such 
surety and animation, and both had the same im¬ 
pression. They said to themselves that Vinzi was 
not the boy who had left them. The father added 
to himself, “He has matured up there. That is 
good, for he’ll know now what he wants.” And 
the mother thought, “ New life has sprung up 
within him. I wonder what will be the outcome.” 

Next morning Stefeli was on her feet es¬ 
pecially early, for the joy of having Vinzi with her 
again had not let her sleep any longer. She had 
wanted to knock on his door in order to keep him 
from oversleeping. Now everything would have 
to go back to the old order and they would be able 
to go together to the pasture as of yore, something 
she had a tremendous longing for. 

Just as she put her finger to the door, Vinzi 
opened it and came out completely dressed. 

Stefeli drew back amazed. 

“ But you get up dreadfully early!” she ex¬ 
claimed. “ You never used to do that, Vinzi; 
that’s why I wanted to call you.” 

“ Now you see that I can do it, too,” Vinzi 
said, laughing at her surprise. “On the mountain 
I always got up early. When one impatiently 

looks forward to something pleasant, sleep goes 

£05 


VINZI 


off easily. One can jump out of bed then. You 
see I have still the habit.” 

“ What was it that made you so happy? 
What did you look forward to eveiy day? ” 
asked Stefeli surprised. 

“ Come, I’ll tell you,” said Vinzi, going 
downstairs. 

Under the open door stood the father taking a 
look at the weather. He too, had only just come 
out of his bedroom. He turned around. 

“ What, you up already? ” he said, astonished. 
“ That’s a good sign. You learned something 
worth while up there, Vinzi, for you did not use 
to be the first in the morning. Come and walk 
over to our walnut trees till your mother calls us 
to breakfast. Don’t you think our trees are fine, 
and the grass about them, too? I hope you have 
learned to see that it is not quite so bad here at 
home. It is beautiful here, isn’t it? ” 

“ Oh, yes,” assented Vinzi from the bottom of 
his heart, looking up to the rich foliage of the 
walnut trees under whose shade he had spent so 
many happy hours. 

“ I suppose you found out up there how fine 
the life of a farmer really is. If you have done so, 
you’ll realize now how beautiful our place is. You 

206 



UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


could not possibly have a better prospect than to 
own and cultivate such a fine farm. Don’t you 
agree with me that it is the best anybody could 
hope for? ” 

“ I know something I’d like much better,” re¬ 
plied Yinzi with hesitation. Then he was silent. 

In surprise the farmer gazed at his son. 

“ Listen to me, Yinzi. I don’t mind if you 
enjoyed the mountain so much, and I wont say a 
word against it. Only I don’t understand what 
you should have found up there better than we 
have. What is it? Tell me!” 

“ Oh, the most beautiful thing I know is Pater 
Silvanus’ harmonium in the hospice. My dearest 
wish would be to learn to play it as well as he 
does,” answered Yinzi. 

Vinzenz Lesa directed a searching glance at 
his son. After a pause he said, “ Do you mean 
that seriously, Yinzi, or is it meant to be a joke? ” 

“ Oh, no, I mean it,” answered Yinzi. 

“ So,” said the father abruptly. “ Now I’ll 
tell you something, too, for you ought to know 
what I think. I sent you away because I wanted 
you to learn all about farming in company with 
those jolly boys. You simply have to learn to 
enjoy it sooner or later. I thought that your eyes 

207 


VINZI 


had been opened and you had matured and come 
back more sensible. Now I find you just as 
childish as when you started, with nothing in your 
head but nonsense and foolish music. But I’ll 
find other ways and means to teach you sense. 
After all there must be some way for a person to 
see how lucky he is. I should never have thought 
that you could have started such rubbish up there, 
too. Well, that settles it! You shall never go 
back! I’ll still find a way.” 

Vinzi had listened calmly to everything the 
father had said. But the last words seemed to 
crush him like a thunderbolt. The moment his 
father turned and went towards the house, he 
threw himself on the ground. By pressing his 
face into the grass he tried to stifle his violent sobs. 
He had secretly feared that his father would not 
want to hear anything about his longing to study 
music, and he had not dared to have any hope in 
that respect. All his finest anticipations, how¬ 
ever, had been built upon returning to the 
mountain. Everything was now at an end and 
the terrible words, “ You shall never go back,” 
resounded over and over again. 

“ Yinzi, you are to ”—cried Stefeli now, but 
she stopped suddenly and ran over to him. 

208 




“what is it, vinzi?” she asked, terribly frightened on hearing 

HIS SOBS AND GROANS 





UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 

What is it, Vinzi?” she asked, terribly 
frightened on hearing his sobs and groans. 

But the boy could give her no reply. 

“ I am sure you have to come,” Stefeli said 
timidly, “If you could only stop, Vinzi. You 
must come to breakfast, for father is already 
sitting down and mother sent me for you.” 

Vinzi jumped up and ran to the pump. By 
washing his eyes over and over again he hoped to 
remove the traces of his tears. 

“ It doesn’t matter, just come now,” Stefeli 
urged. “ Mr. Delrick never comes down to 
breakfast, father doesn’t pay attention, and 
mother won’t say anything. Please come now.” 

As the two entered, the father threw a sharp 
glance at Vinzi, who took his seat with a drooping 
head. Vinzenz Lesa pushed his half-emptied cup 
from him and, rising, went quickly out. 

He could not stand the sight of tears, least of 
all from his boy, who was more precious to him 
than his estate. The mother gazed after 
him surprised. 

“ What is the matter with father? He didn’t 
even empty his cup,” she said, glancing at Vinzi, 
who just then raised his eyes. “ But for heaven’s 
sake, Vinzi, what is wrong with you?” she cried, 
14 209 


VINZI 


much more concerned still. “ Your eyes are 
swollen and red. What has happened ? ” 

Vinzi wanted to say something but could not 
utter a sound. Laying his head upon his arm, he 
burst out crying. 

The mother’s face expressed the greatest 
anxiety as she looked at him. Stefeli quickly 
swallowed her milk, then ran outside. 

“If only Mr. Delrick would come,” she 
sighed. Stefeli had noticed that whenever her 
parents sought his advice, affairs were usually 
straightened out, so she was most anxious to find 
him now. 

Mr. Delrick had just left his room and was 
that moment coming downstairs. 

“ All ready to start? ” he asked kindly, when 
Stefeli bounded to him and gave him her hand. 
“ Will you take a morning walk with me? ” 

Stefeli had hoped for this and willingly 
started on her way with her desired companion. 
He soon heard what lay heavily on her heart; how 
Vinzi had red and swollen eyes from crying and 
the father had pushed away his cup of coffee 
before finishing it and had quickly gone out; also 
how terribly sad the mother looked, more sad than 
she had ever seen her. 


210 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


“ But I am sure you can help us,” Stefeli con¬ 
cluded with firm conviction. 

“I’ll do what I can,” Mr. Delrick promised, 
smilingly. 

But the child’s words had made him very 
thoughtful; he seriously wondered if the mother’s 
sad supposition would be realized now. The 
thought worried him the more, as he had fixed 
upon his departure within the next few days, hav¬ 
ing planned to meet a friend at the Italian lakes. 

When the two returned from their walk, 
matters had not improved. Vinzi had finally told 
his mother the words that had crushed him so 
completely. He thought that everything now was 
over, but his mother comforted him by saying that 
the father’s words were probably not final. If 
only Vinzi tried hard to stick to his work and did 
everything to please his father, showing in that 
way that he really cared for what he wanted of 
him, the time would surely come when he would 
be allowed to go back to his friends. 

But Vinzi shook his head. “Father won’t ever 
let me go back there, for he said that I was finding 
pleasure in something he does not want me to do. 
And it’s true. I understand now what he means, 

and I never quite knew before.” 

211 


VINZI 


To this the mother said nothing, for she could 
not help feeling that Vinzi was right. Would the 
boy be sent away again, and where? Her husband 
had another relative, an older brother, with whom 
he used to manage their property in Freiburg, till 
their old cousin in Leuk had died. Her husband 
had taken charge of it, as they had inherited it 
together. He had felt that, as the beautiful place 
was so badly run down, it was better to look after 
it himself for a number of years, if he wanted to 
bring it up again. Her husband’s brother was as 
silent and unsociable as the old cousin who used to 
live here had been, and he also looked quite as un¬ 
kempt. Vinzenz Lesa had left a hired man on the 
farm, who looked after things. His brother never 
wanted to undertake anything new and only 
hoped that Vinzenz Lesa would soon return. 

Mrs. Lesa knew that there had been rather 
odd members in the Lesa family from time to 
time and suddenly a new anxiety rose in her heart. 
If the father should really decide to send Vinzi 
to his father’s old farm in order to teach him 
interest in farm work, he naturally would find no 
other distractions there. Mightn’t the boy, who 
had always been different from other children, 
become more peculiar? He might in the exclusive 

212 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


company of his uncle get rather odd in his ways. 
People had told her that the old man who used to 
live in Leuk would sit by the hour before his barn 
staring straight in front of him. People used to 
call him Starri from Leuk.* Their brother in 
Freiburg was supposed to do the same. Such 
names easily become current, and as every one 
knew where the Lesa family originally came 
from, he, too, was called by the people the Starri 
of Leuk. 

When Mrs. Lesa’s thoughts had travelled 
thus far, she felt still more worried. The father’s 
chief cause of complaint against the boy was that 
he always stared into the distance, not seeing and 
hearing what went on before his eyes. Would it 
be possible that her lively, splendid Vinzi should 
turn into the third Starri of Leuk? 

Mrs. Lesa was suddenly roused from her dis¬ 
turbing thoughts by Stefeli’s entrance. The child 
told hei: that Mr. Delrick had already come back 
from his walk and was sitting in Vinzi’s room 
talking to the boy. Quickly she set about pre¬ 
paring his breakfast for as he had come back so 
much earlier than usual, she was not yet ready 
for him. 


* The Starer from Leuk. 



VINZI 


Mr. Delrick knew about Vinzi’s keen passion 
for music as well as the father’s wishes and desires 
for his son’s future, with the original cause of 
Vinzi’s stay on the mountain. But he had not 
understood from Stefeli’s words what had 
brought on Vinzi’s tears and the father’s anger so 
soon after the boy’s happy return. As he took 
the greatest interest in the weal and woe of the 
Lesa family, he wished to know if he could not 
help them somehow. His stay in the house was 
to be of very short duration, that was why he had 
come back so soon from his stroll. He had gone 
to the darkly brooding Vinzi and informed him 
that he was planning to go to the Italian lakes and 
in two days would travel across the Simplon. If 
Vinzi had any messages for friends there, he 
would be glad to deliver them, as he expected to 
spend the night there. 

For a moment a ray of sunshine flitted over 
Vinzi’s face. 

“ Are you also going to see Pater Silvanus 
and the grandfather?” he asked, with burn¬ 
ing eagerness. 

“ I don’t know who they are,” replied Mr. 
Delrick. “ But tell me about all your friends 

there and what happened to you on the mountain. 

214 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 

Then you can tell me what messages I am to take 
to them.” 

To be able to speak about things which were 
in his inmost thoughts poured balm on Vinzi’s 
aching heart. Mr. Delrick’s deep sympathy and 
understanding of his joy in his music studies with 
Pater Silvanus made it possible for him to tell 
about everything that had made him so happy on 
the mountain. He was willing enough to do 
whatever work he was set to do, Vinzi concluded, 
but the idea of never playing any more or hearing 
more music was too dreadful. He had till now 
always had the hope that he could spend next 
summer on the mountain and could then continue 
his lessons with Pater Silvanus, but today his 
father had definitely told him that he was never 
to go back. 

The matter began to grow clearer to Mr. 
Delrick. 

“ Tell me, Vinzi,” he said, after a pause, “did 
the Pater urge you to keep up your music at home 
or did he only mean to take it up again when you 
went back to him? ” 

Vinzi reported the Pater’s injunction, also his 
own reply, telling how impossible this was on ac¬ 
count of his father’s objection to it. 

215 


VINZI 


44 Would ;you like to learn an instrument in 
order to give yourself pleasure by playing, 
Vinzi? ” said Mr. Delrick. 44 Did you ever think 
of making music your whole and only life’s work? 
I suppose you could not even imagine that? ” 
Vinzi’s eyes flamed. 

4t Oh, yes, I could, and I thought about it long 
ago, when I was on the mountain. I could 
imagine well how it would be,” Vinzi assured him. 

44 1 don’t only want to study an instrument, but 
to learn everything about music. Pater Silvanus 

knows everything and can explain how to put the 
tones together in order to make harmonious 
music. Also how to write down melodies one has 
in one’s head so people can read it again from a 
sheet. He had already begun to explain it all 
and teach me how to do it. It was so wonderful! 
I wouldn’t mind shoveling snow all day and work¬ 
ing hard the way they have to do up there in 
winter, if only I could spend the evenings with 
Pater Silvanus, for he said he would keep on 
teaching me. Now I’ll never be allowed to go up 
the mountain anv more, never! ” 

it was hard for Vinzi to suppress his newly 
rising grief. 

44 You see, Vinzi,” Mr. Delrick said kindly, 

216 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


“your father wants you to be happy. You know 
that yourself and I can absolutely assure you of 
it. He said the words you worry about so much 
because he thinks that your life on the mountain 
might interfere with your future happiness. 
Time may bring many changes, and therefore it 
is possible that he won’t have to keep his word. 
It is entirely wrong, though, for you to keep on 
repeating these words to yourself, for they only 
make you sad and take all your spirit away. Did 
you not find joy and happiness where you ex¬ 
pected unhappiness ? Remember that, Vinzi. and 
keep up your courage.” 

The mother had entered meanwhile and after 
setting the breakfast on the table had immedi¬ 
ately vanished. It had calmed her to hear how 
Mr. Delrick was speaking to her boy and how 
attentively the latter was listening. 

“ Now, Vinzi,” said Mr. Delrick rising, “ pull 
yourself together and be glad that you are home 
again. Show your father a pleasant face when he 
comes home, and if you are willing to do what he 
tells you to, everything may still come right. 
Will you promise me to think about what I have 
just now said? ” 

This Vinzi gladly did, and when the mother 

217 


VINZI 


entered a little later after Mr. Delrick had gone 
out, his eyes already were somewhat clearer. 

The day went quietly by. All the inmates of 
the house, feeling that the happiness of the even¬ 
ing before had vanished, could not help being de¬ 
pressed. When the day was over and Vinzenz 
Lesa had settled as usual on his bench, his fore¬ 
head lay in deep furrows. Staring at the 
ground, he even let his pipe go out. 

Mr. Delrick now stepped up to him. 

“ Mr. Lesa,” he said, striking a match and 
offering the light to his host, “ you are not in a 
good humor, or you would not let your pipe go 
out. Here, light it again.” 

“Humor, you say, humor! ” Lesa repeated 
grimly. “ If one’s field is spoilt by hail, one can 
always hope that it will bring good fruit next 
year. But when a man’s only son goes from bad 
to worse, no hope is left him. From worse he can 
only go to worst, and then I suppose he can’t go 
any further.” 

“ As far as I can judge you have a very up¬ 
right, well-mannered son,” said Mr. Delrick 
deliberately. 

“ Yes, he is. I don’t complain of that,” re¬ 
torted Lesa. “It’s something else. What help is 

218 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 

there when everything has been done to make him 
happy and he does not see it or know what is best 
for him. ITe only hankers after childish rubbish! 
I won t give in till he comes to reason, even if I 
should have to send him across the ocean. I know 
of a place, though, which is quite near, where 
he couldn’t find any chance to keep up his 
foolish fancies.” 

“ I suppose you mean by that your son’s 
passion for music and his desire to devote himself 
to it. There might be more in it than foolish 
fancies, though; it might be very serious on his 
part,” said Mr. Delrick. 

“ Something serious in it! ” replied the father 
in agitation. “ It is just play, like any other. I 
have nothing against it, if young boys sing jolly 
songs in the evenings. But that is not the way he 
does. He sits and stares and neither sees nor 
hears anything, but thinks about his foolish pip¬ 
ing. Once I found a whole heap of pipes he had 
carved. How could that be other than childish 
rubbish? And the idea of putting your thoughts 
on such a thing! ” 

“ That shows that there is something serious 
in it,” answered Mr. Delrick. “ If it were only 
play like any other, he would have exchanged it 

219 


VINZI 


for something else long ago, the way boys are apt 
to do. His whole thinking and wishing then 
would not always go to the same objeet. His 
persistence in trying to make a better instrument 
for himself, shows how great his zeal for the 
matter really is. I am perfectly convinced that 
it is not play, but serious work with him.” 

“ Work! the idea of calling that work! ” 

To express his indignation, Vinzenz Lesa 
blew unusually thick clouds of smoke from 
his pipe. 

“ Music certainly can be work, and where 
there is real talent, it can be a splendid career,” 
Mr. Delrick continued. 44 1 think you ought to 
let your son learn an instrument. His longing 
for it is so great that he would gladly do the 
heaviest work to have this wish gratified.” 

Vinzenz Lesa put by his pipe, which was a 
sure sign of intense excitement. 

44 Sir,” he said with suppressed anger, 
44 Vinzenz Lesa’s only son shall not be a musician. 
He has an estate on which he can live like a 
gentleman. If he wants to blow a trumpet later 
on, he can well afford to. But it is quite another 
matter to take a boy away from a healthy, sound 

work and bring him up to playing instruments 

220 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 


and making music. He has no sense yet and 
would probably come to me and say what 
you have just told me, that he wants to make 
music his career. No sir, Yinzenz Lesa’s son is 
not going to be a travelling musician.” 

“ All musicians do not necessarily have to be 
vagabonds,” was Mr. Delrick’s quick reply. 
“ There are many musicians with glorious gifts 
who do their work quite differently.” 

“ Yes, and they all come to one’s house,” 
continued the excited father, “ many hundreds of 
them. They all make music. The father plays 
on a broken fiddle and a woman in rags sings 
with a shrill voice. That’s the end of all of them! 
If you had an only son, sir, would you let him 
become such a one? ” 

“ Surely not one like that,” replied Mr. 
Delrick. “ But if I should happen to have a 
son with great gifts as a composer, nothing would 
prevent me from furthering his wishes.” 

My boy has not got great gifts,” said the 
father obstinately, “ because such great gifts 
don’t happen often. Will you believe me when 
I say that as soon as Vinzi comes to reason, he’ll 

be glad and grateful that he can live on a beauti- 

221 


VINZI 


ful farm and doesn’t have to wander about the 
world as a musician? ” 

Mr. Delrick had to admit to himself that he 
really did not know how much talent Vinzi had. 
All he knew was the boy’s great longing. He 
also felt that Mr. Lesa’s opinion about a 
musician’s miserable life could not possibly be 
changed. He had puzzled how he could be 
certain on that point. How otherwise would he 
have the right to fight the father’s great dis¬ 
inclination? Maybe he should rather support 
the father’s opinion and help to bring his son to 
the right path. 

“ Mr. Lesa,” he said, rising and giving his 
hand to his host, “ don’t let us talk about it any 
more today, for we don’t seem to come to an 
understanding, but I mean to take it up again 
and I hope we shall fully agree with each other 
then. We have always gotten along so well 
till now.” 

“ So we have,” replied Vinzenz Lesa, shaking 
the proffered hand. “ Whenever we don’t agree, 
I always know that you mean well.” 

Mr. Delrick now made ready to go. On the 
next day, the last before his departure, the whole 
house was as still and quiet as if a misfortune 
were impending. To the unhappy thoughts of 

222 


UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS 

the inmates was added the grief that the friend 
who had always been their comfort was to leave 
them. Stefeli had expected everything to be joy¬ 
ful again as soon as Vinzi returned. Just the 
opposite had happened, and now the only one who 
could have helped them was going away. 

On the last evening Mr. Delrick told the 
mother of his conversation with Mr. Lesa and 
comforted her by the assurance that he had not 
given up the hope of finding a way out for Vinzi. 
But she had given up and saw only grief ahead 
for them all. Even if her husband would give 
way to the persuasions of Mr. Delrick, he would 
never be reconciled to the matter and a breach 
would remain between them. Only one person 
could have prevented that, and he was the one 
who had to go. 

Vinzi felt that if he could talk sometimes 
with Mr. Delrick he might regain his joy and 
confidence. His heart was therefore very heavy 
at his friend’s departure. Mr. Lesa had the full 
conviction that his wife and son did not under¬ 
stand what was necessary for Vinzi’s good. The 
only person who would probably comprehend it 
at last and would then bring the others round 

was departing. Mr. Delrick in spite of speaking 

223 


VINZI 


a kindly word to one and an encouraging one to 
the other was unable to lift their spirits. 

In the evening when he had withdrawn to 
his room, some one knocked on his door and 
Vinzi entered, carrying two little books and a 
small package. He asked timidly if Mr. Delrick 
would take these things to his three cousins. The 
package he had promised to send to Russli be¬ 
fore he left. The books were for Jos and Faz, 
for the boys had told him that they liked to read 
on winter evenings. As they possessed so few 
books, they were obliged to read the same ones 
over and over again. Vinzi also wished to send 
his best love to everybody in his uncle’s house, as 
well as to the grandfather and Pater Silvanus. 
He was anxious to thank them all and let them 
know how happy he had been with them and how 
much he wanted .... but here Vinzi could 
speak no further. Quickly saying good-night 
he went out. 

Mr. Delrick had planned to go back from the 
Italian lakes to Germany by another route. He 
hoped to return next summer, at which the whole 
family rejoiced. Stefeli, however, thought that 
this was too far off. Early next morning he 

drove away in the direction of the Simplon. 

224 


CHAPTER IX 


SURPRISES, BUT NOT ONLY FOR 

RUSSLI 

D URING the months of September and 
October Yinzenz Lesa was always very 
busy. He usually went about in excellent 
spirits, as he had good reason to rejoice over the 
blessings of his harvest. But this fall he was 
often silent and could be seen standing still, 
staring in front of him absent-mindedly. Ap¬ 
parently his thoughts were busy with something 
which worried him. His son’s future occupied 
him day and night and left him no peace, for he 
loved Yinzi dearly and was as proud of him as 
only a father can be. Every one was fond of 
Yinzi, but he wished him to realize his fortunate 
prospects. Thousands would envy him the 
smooth, carefree life which lay before him. All 
he needed was to have his eyes opened. 

Yinzenz Lesa, after pondering deeply for a 
long, long while finally reached a conclusion. 
One day he entered the living room and found his 
wife busy mending his old coat. Needless to say, 
15 225 


VINZI 


her thoughts were also busied with the same 
problem constantly occupying them both. 

“ I am going to take the boy away on 
Sunday,” he said upon entering. “ I’ll take him 
to my brother in Freiburg, who will be only too 
glad to get Vinzi. There is always lots of work 
till winter time. Vinzi can’t count on many dis¬ 
tractions there, so it will be good for him if he has 
plenty to do.” 

Mrs. Lesa’s work slipped out of her hands. 
Pale with dread, she gazed at her husband. 

“ Have you thought about the condition your 
brother is in, Vinzenz? Ho you remember what 
name they call him by? ” she asked, dreadfully 
frightened. In her mind’s eye she saw Vinzi 
before her, staring in front of him as he was wont 
to do, and her brother-in-law’s pathetic figure 
right beside him. 

“ That does not matter,” answered her 
husband. “ My brother is not vicious he only 
hates giving orders. He does not like to work, 
but his mind is quite clear enough to know that 
the place needs a master besides a servant. That 
is why he wants me to come back or send him my 
boy. Vinzi is not stupid. As soon as he sees 
that he can give orders, he’ll get a liking for it, 

226 


SURPRISES, BUT NOT ONLY FOR RUSSLI 

which is the first step to knowledge. It is the 
best way out for him, believe me! I have thought 
it out and I mean to go on Sunday.” 

Mrs. Lesa wished to raise other objections, 
but everything she said seemed only to confirm 
her husband’s statement that he had found the 

right place for Vinzi, so she remained silent. 

# 

"When her husband had gone and she was left 
alone with her own thoughts, she remembered 
her great grief when Vinzi had been sent away 
before. How differently things had gone with 
him from what she had feared. She had really 
been ungrateful to God, for he had brought her 
lad to kindly people. Why should she begin to 
worry and doubt again, as if she knew better 
what was good for Vinzi? She would put every¬ 
thing into His hands, with the confidence that 
the good Father in Heaven meant well with all 
His children and would lead hers also to final 
happiness. This thought calmed her. She de¬ 
cided to talk it all over with Vinzi, who as yet 
knew nothing of his near departure. She found 
it better to prepare him by telling him about the 
farm of his ancestors. Then he would under¬ 
stand that he was sent away because some one 

was needed on the place. 

227 


YINZI 


That evening, when she heard Vinzi coming 
home, she called him in. He had been out in 
the woods all day with his father. As the father 
had work to do in the bam and stable, he would 
not miss the boy. Stefeli, who ran in at once, 
was sent off on an errand to the barn in the hope 
that she would probably remain a considerable 
time with her old friends in the stable. 

But Stefeli had noticed that the mother had 
something special in mind regarding Vinzi and 
as she wanted to hear it all, she returned in a 
twinkling. The mother, however, was not 
desirous of her presence. 

“ Go over to the barnyard,” she said, “ and 
look for eggs in every nook and corner. You 
know that the chickens lay them sometimes 
where one least suspects them. Bring them here 
afterwards, hut he sure to look everywhere.” 

Stefeli ran as fast as she could go, but she had 
barely left the house, when she came running 
back. Flinging open the door, she cried, “ He 
is coming back! He is coming back! ” 

The next moment she was gone again. The 
mother and Vinzi looked at each other. The 

same thought had flashed through their heads, 

228 


SURPRISES, BUT NOT ONLY FOR RUSSLI 


but it seemed so impossible that they did not 
dare to mention it. 

The door opened again, and what they had 
thought impossible really had come to pass. 
Stefeli triumphantly entered at the side of Mr. 
Delrick, whose hand she was holding. The 
surprise was so great for Vinzi and Mrs. Lesa 
that neither could say a word, but pure joy 
gleamed from their faces. 

“ I changed my plans,” said Mr. Delrick 
after the first greetings. “ My friends are re¬ 
turning to Germany another way, and therefore 
I had to come back once more. Your relatives 
up there loaded me with greetings for Vinzi and 
I am glad to bring them to him myself. If I 
had gone to Germany another way I could not 
have done so, and the good people insisted on my 
delivering them. They treated me as an old 
friend because I brought them Vinzi’s greetings.” 

Vinzi’s eyes gleamed with pleasure and the 
bliss of remembrance. 

“Did you see them all? The grandfather 
and Pater Silvanus, too? ” he asked expectantly. 

“Yes, everybody, and they all seem to love 

you, Vinzi,” replied Mr. Delrick. “ Your good 

229 


VINZI 


uncle Lorenz and his wife could not tell me 
enough about your happy times together.” 

Mr. Delrick also described how pleased the 
three boys had been with their gifts. They sent 
their warmest thanks. Russli did not let his 
present leave his hands, wherever he walked or 
stood, he held on to the red silk bag, filled with 
fine agate marbles. He had sent a special 
message for Vinzi, which Mr. Delrick had not 
quite understood, but hoped Vinzi could make 
out. Russli wanted Vinzi to know that he would 
never in his life tickle them any more. He had 
never thought a surprise could be so lovely. 

At that moment the father entered. In sur¬ 
prise over his guest he stood stock-still for a mo¬ 
ment. Mr. Delrick had risen to greet him. 

“ Oh, I am glad it’s true,” said Lesa with 
joyful eyes, shaking the proffered hand heartily. 
“ I always thought this would happen somehow. 
It has been so empty here since you left. Wel¬ 
come again to our house! ” he added, strengthen¬ 
ing this sentiment with a renewed shaking of the 
hand. “ Let us sit down to supper now; my wife 
is sure to have something special for you. She 
couldn’t be less happy than I am at your coming.” 

Mrs. Lesa had already disappeared to pre- 

230 


SURPRISES, BUT NOT ONLY FOR RUSSLI 

pare supper. The meal passed most pleasantly, 
as the joy of seeing Mr. Delrick again had driven 
away all gloomy thoughts. 

When every one rose from the table, Mr. 
Delrick said, “ I’d like to have a little talk with 
you, out on the bench, the way we used to do; 
but don’t forget your pipe.” 

“ Never,” replied Vinzenz Lesa. 

Mrs. Lesa understood that Mr. Delrick 
desired to speak to her husband alone, so she kept 
the children with her indoors. 

As soon as the men were seated on the bench, 
Mr. Delrick began: “ I suppose, Mr. Lesa, you 
have guessed that I had a reason for coming back 
and changing my plans.” 

“ You do nothing without a good reason,” re¬ 
plied the other thoughtfully. 

“ I must tell you something which is so im¬ 
portant that I wanted to lose no time,” continued 
Mr. Delrick. “ I had planned to spend a day on 
the mountain to give Vinzi’s messages in person 
and to look up his friends there. First, I called 
on your worthy cousin, Mr. Lorenz Lesa and his 
wife. These good people could not speak enough 
about Vinzi. They miss him so much, for he 
made life exceedingly pleasant for old and young 

231 


VINZI 


with his songs and music. I suppose a father 
likes to hear that? ” 

The latter nodded. 

“ Then I visited the old grandfather in the 
tower, who was greatly touched by Vinzi’s 
message. He said that Vinzi had given him the 
most beautiful hours he had had for years—the 
times your boy had trained the chorus to sing to 
the old man. It is the grandfather’s dearest wish 
to have the boy play for him when he is taking 
his last journey. I think that this must have 
been more than a light little song, for it could 
not otherwise have made such a deep im¬ 
pression on the grandfather. What do you think 
Mr. Lesa? ” 

Vinzenz Lesa silently nodded again. 

“ When I asked the grandfather if Pater 
Silvanus knew anything about music, he grew 
quite talkative. Pie told me that Pater Silvanus 
had been a very fine musician and had spent 
many years in a college in Rome. He had sought 
out the solitude on the mountain voluntarily and 
had lived there many years, doing good. I found 
him just the man I was looking for,” Mr. Delrick 
went on, “ a man who could give me an opinion 
on Vinzi’s talent. So of course I went to see the 

2S2 


SURPRISES, BUT NOT ONLY FOR RUSSLI 

monk. As soon as he heard that I came from 
Y inzi, he was very friendly and immediately 
asked me what the boy was doing with his music. 
Then I told him that I had come especially to 
find out what he thought of Vinzi’s gift. The 
good monk grew enthusiastic. ‘ Y ou ask me if 
he has talent,’ he exclaimed. ‘ The boy is simply 
full of music. When I studied with him I never 
had the feeling of teaching him anything. It was 
more like drawing everything out of him.’ In 
order that I could judge he told me that the first 
melody Yinzi had composed and had worked out 
by himself was so original and lovely that he him¬ 
self often played it. Vinzi had also composed a 
tune to some words, and this had simply won 
every one’s heart. The cow-herds on the pastures 
as well as the girls at their spinning-wheels would 
often sing it. The young lads whistled it in the 
bams and stables, and people all about hummed 
it and called it ‘ Our song.’ No one quite re¬ 
membered where it had come from, and it had 
grown to be the favorite property of the whole 
mountain-side. I don’t doubt the boy’s talent 
any longer, Mr. Lesa, and I hope you also are 

convinced that it is worth while to open the way 

233 


VINZI 


for such a gift and develop it. I am sure you 
mean to do so, Mr. Lesa.” 

For a while the farmer deeply pondered, 
blowing clouds of smoke into the air. Then he 
said thoughtfully: “ And what then? To develop 
it will mean to teach the boy to make music till 
he won’t want to do anything else. But Vinzenz 
Lesa wants no musician for a son. They are a 
shiftless crowd, and Vinzi has a good home. If 
he once begins to wander about, he won’t ever 
be able to settle down and that will be his ruin. 
How can you expect me, who realizes all this, to 
start him on it? No, sir, you can’t expect this! ” 
At this unexpected reply Mr. Delrick re¬ 
mained silent. A considerable time passed till 
he said calmly after ripe consideration. “ Ap¬ 
parently I can’t get you beyond the idea of his 
becoming a travelling musician. But let me make 
you a proposition. I hope you still have some 
confidence in me? ” 

“ I have,” the other replied firmly. 

“ Good. Then I’ll propose that you should 
let me have your boy for a year or longer. I’ll 
do for him what I would do for my own son. If 
he comes back and you still think as you do today, 
a year among strangers will not have harmed 

234 


SURPRISES, BUT NOT ONLY FOR RUSSLI 


him. If he is to spend the rest of his life here on 
the farm, it won’t be bad if he has learned some¬ 
thing. That never has hurt anybody yet.” 

Lesa, after considering, suddenly came to a 
determination. “ That can’t be, sir,” he said 
decisively. 

Mr. Delrick asked the reason for this sudden 
statement. 

“ I can’t possibly send my son into your house 
for a whole year when you have paid me more for 
just a few weeks than was necessary,” Vinzenz 
Lesa explained. 

Mr. Delrick smiled. “ I live alone in a large 
old house, which is very still and empty. Having 
the boy with me will make a most welcome 
change, as you can see for yourself. He will 
bring new life into my existence. But if you are 
not yet satisfied, I promise to come to you as 
guest as often as I want to and till we are abso¬ 
lutely even. You know how much I like it here. 
Please let us settle it, Mr. Lesa. I can only hope 
you will never regret it.” 

Vinzenz Lesa could not help thinking to him¬ 
self that a year among strangers would benefit 
Vinzi greatly. After all, the boy had seen very 

little of other people’s lives. He would meet 

23 5 


YINZI 


boys of his own age struggling for their existence 
and that might teach him to be grateful for his 
own good fortune. To be taken to the paved 
streets of a city from his free life in the country 
might even make him homesick and anxious to 
come back before the year was out. The father 
would not ask for more. 

“I’ll agree,” said Yinzenz Lesa firmly, press¬ 
ing the proffered hand to conclude the bargain. 
“ I only want to say one more word. If Vinzi 
should wish to come home sooner than we have 
settled, you must let him come.” 

Mr. Delrick willingly promised. Then he 
rose in order to communicate the husband’s new 
plan to the anxious mother, while his companion 
took his accustomed evening trip through the 
barn and stable. Mrs. Lesa could find no words 
to express her gratitude and joy over this new 
turn events had taken. Now Vinzi was saved 
from staying with his dreadful uncle, and how 
wonderful was the way by which he had been 
spared! Even if she did not quite know what 
Mr. Delrick meant to do with Vinzi, she was 
overjoyed at the prospect that her boy was to 
spend a whole year with such a man. Vinzi like¬ 
wise knew no more about his immediate future, 

236 


SURPRISES, BUT NOT ONLY FOR RUSSLX 


but looked forward to everything with joyful 
confidence. Mr. Delrick had told him that Pater 
Silvanus’ wishes in regard to him were to be 
carried out. This meant that he was going to 
be happy. 

Three days later came another day of parting 
No one was sad this time, because each had some 
consolation. Only Stefeli rebelled a little, for 
it seemed to the poor child that no one on earth 
was compelled to be as lonely as she was. 

In the winter which followed, Stefeli had to 

take many a solitary walk. She had no com¬ 
panion on her way to school and got very weary 

going alone twice daily to and fro. As she was 
of a most sociable disposition, this occasioned her 
many a bitter sigh 

From time to time Mr. Delrick sent news 
about Vinzi. Mrs. Lesa read the letters aloud to 
her husband and the reports were always good. 
Vinzi was well and busy with his studies. The 
boy sent hearty greetings to his family, and the 
missive always concluded with kind words from 
Mr. Delrick. He spoke of his great joy in 
having the boy with him and watching his 
rapid development 

When the father had breathlessly listened to 

287 


VINZI 


these reports about his son’s welfare, he often 
showed some disappointment. He always seemed 
to be waiting for some message which did not 
come. “ Is that all? ” he would ask when his wife 
had finished. 

After she had assured him that she had read 
every word he silently went away. His wife had 
guessed long ago that he waited for something 
which did not happen. She felt that he would 
have been more pleased if Vinzi were less happy 
and showed some inclination to come home. 

This caused new anxieties in her heart and she 
wondered what would happen when Vinzi re¬ 
turned. If he did according to his father’s wishes, 
he would never be satisfied. And if his father let 
him do the work the boy had chosen, a breach 
would remain between the two, for the father 
would never be reconciled to the thought that his 
son would become a strolling musician. She re¬ 
membered the unspeakable joy of her husband 
when their son was born. He had indefatigably 
worked for the little one and nothing had ever 
been too good for him. When he looked at his 
son, he was glad to be able to say, “ He can have 
everything he wants some day.” A great pity for 
her husband surged up in her at these thoughts 

238 


SURPRISES, BUT NOT ONLY FOR RUSSLI 


and she felt as if she must call Vinzi home. But 
the next moment she had to think again, “ But 
then poor Vinzi will feel unhappy.’’ 

In her agitation she was glad that she had 
nothing whatever to decide in the matter, but the 
greatest consolation of all was the knowledge 
that One above her, Who saw further and knew 
everything would decide the final outcome for 
them all. 


CHAPTER X 

OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


S PRING was here again and all the trees 
and hedges were in bloom. Stefeli could 
not gaze her fill at the fresh green grass, as 
she wandered through the meadows with her 
school-bag on her back. The golden buttercups 
were gleaming here and there among the grasses, 
and red daisies were nodding merrily in 
the breeze. 

Stefeli was coming home from her last day 
of school for that season. How lovely that day 
had been a year ago when she had walked home 
with Vinzi and they had discussed the joys of the 
coming holidays. The whole summer had lain 
before them with the delightful prospect of many 
perfect days on the pasture. They would sit 
again under the ash tree as long as they pleased, 
or look for berries on the bushes. Then they 
would have to chase Schwarzeli and be altogether 
as free as the birds that whistled in the trees 
above them. But what would the coming summer 
be like? Stefeli only saw before her many hot 

240 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 

days to be spent in the room with her hateful 
knitting. She would probably not be able to 
spend one of them on the pasture, and at this 
thought she sat down on the edge of the meadow 
and sighed aloud. 

But Stefeli could never remain unhappy very 
long. Suddenly remembering that the wild 
strawberries behind the barn had been nearly ripe 
two days ago, she felt the need to inspect them. 
Quickly jumping up, she ran towards the house 
first, in order to rid herself of her heavy load of 
books. But hurriedly flinging open the door of 
the living room, she stood stock-still upon the 
threshold, dumb with astonishment. 

An unknown man sat opposite her mother 
confidentially talking to her, and beside him was 
a boy of Vinzi’s age who took a lively part in the 
conversation. The mother was wearing a happier 
face than she had shown for a long while, and 
every few moments Vinzi’s name was mentioned 
between them. 

“ I suppose this is your little daughter,” said 
the man, glancing towards the door. “ Come 
here, Stefeli, I am no stranger. I am your Uncle 
Lorenz, and this is Jos, a good friend of Vinzi’s.” 

Stefeli came joyfully up to greet the two 

16 241 


VINZI 


whom Vinzi had loved so dearly. They seemed 
very welcome just at this time when she had felt 
so especially lonely. She shook Uncle Lorenz’s 
hand trustfully, for he gazed at her with such 
friendly eyes. It also made her happy to look 
at Jos, constantly smiling at her, as if he wished 
to say, “ We’ll get along well together.” 

Stefeli turned towards her uncle and said 
casually, “ Isn’t Jos going to stay with us all 
summer? You know Vinzi stayed with you just 
as long as that.” 

The uncle laughed. 

“ I call it a real welcome to be expected to 
stay all summer. But we’ll have to talk with 
your father and see what he says. Why don’t 
you take Jos out with you a little and see how you 
get along together? ” 

This did not have to be urged. Stefeli, taking 
her cousin’s hand, drew him happily after her. 
He must see everything in the stable and the 
barn, the garden and the chicken-yard; it was 
just as if Vinzi were home again and could share 
all her delights. 

Meanwhile Vinzenz Lesa had returned from 
his work and upon entering the room had greeted 
his guest with a surprise and visible joy. In the 

242 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


state of deepening depression under which he was 
laboring, his contented-looking cousin Lorenz 
was a welcome sight. “ We so much missed hear¬ 
ing from you,” said the latter after the first 
greetings, “ that my wife kept teasing me about 
your Vinzi. She feared we might not see him all 

summer and we wanted to be sure to have him 
up again for the season. I want him no less than 
she does, for we miss him ever so much. We 
thought we’d bring you our Jos for a while, as 
we agreed to do, and then the two boys could 
come up to us together till winter time. But 
your wife has just told me that Vinzi has gone 
away. I am mighty sorry not to see him, I must 
say, and my wife will be bitterly disappointed if 
he does not come. You have no idea how much 
she thinks of Vinzi; but he deserves it.” 

The parents were glad to hear their cousin’s 
words about Vinzi, but remained silent. When¬ 
ever the boy’s name was mentioned, the furrows 
on Vinzenz Lesa’s brow always deepened, show¬ 
ing clearly that it touched his sorest spot. His 
wife therefore mentioned Vinzi as little as 
she could. 

Considerate little Stefeli by that time had felt 

that it was high time for Jos to get something to 

243 


VINZI 


eat. She therefore came back and entered the 
room hand in hand with him. The two seemed to 
be old friends already. 

Jos went straight up to his uncle Vinzenz to 
greet him. The latter looked at the open face 
of the boy with a mixture of pain and delight. 
Health, strength and the sheer joy of living 
laughed from the lad’s eyes. 

“ He’ll be as big as you some day, Lorenz,” 
said Vinzenz, after having measured Jos from 
top to toe. “ He must be a real help already.” 

“ So he is, I can tell you! ” replied Lorenz, 
pleased that his cousin should find it worth while 
to examine his boy thoroughly. 

Mrs. Lesa, who had disappeared, now opened 
the door and gave Stefeli a sign. The child im¬ 
mediately began to set the table, taking great 
care not to forget anything. 

“ Your wife has a good little helper, too,” said 
Cousin Lorenz, watching Stefeli’s quick prepara¬ 
tions with great approval. “ My wife woidd like 
to have her, too. You must send her up to us 
some day, but I can’t guarantee that you’ll ever 
get her back.” 

The mother now came in and set on the table 

the best her kitchen and cellar could provide. It 

244 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


was a special delight to her to entertain these 
guests who had shown Vinzi so much kindness. 

“ I hope you are going to stay with us a few 
days, cousin,” she said as she settled down op¬ 
posite to him. She kept a vigilant eye on his and 
the boy’s plates and constantly supplied them 
with fresh rosy ham and gold-green salad leaves 
from her garden. “ Won’t you leave Jos here 
with us for a few weeks, cousin? ” she asked. 

But Stefeli here pulled violently at her 
mother’s apron and whispered, “ Say for the 
summer, mother, quickly, before he says yes,” 
for she was terribly afraid that the proposal 
might be accepted and then could not be changed. 

“ Yes, I will, cousin, and I must say you don’t 
make it hard for one to stay,” replied the cousin. 
“ I came purposely on Saturday so I could have 
a nice Sunday with you tomorrow. I’ll gladly 
stay if it suits you, but I’ll have to leave on 
Monday. Vinzenz shall settle what is to be done 
about my boy.” 

“ There is plenty of time,” replied the latter 
leisurely. “ We’ll take a walk across the fields 
tomorrow. I suppose you count on looking about 
you here, and that will give us a good chance 
to talk.” 


245 


VINZI 


“ Look at the cow-stable before everything 
else,” cried Jos enthusiastically, who had been 
silent till then out of deep respect for his uncle. 
But the impression he had received in the stable 
was too powerful for him to be restrained. “ I 
am sure there are no finer cows anywhere than 
in uncle’s stable. They look as clean as if they 
had just been watered.” 

“ I thought you would like them,” said his 
father, “ and I must see them today. Do you 
still have your breed from Freiburg, Vinzenz? ” 
“Why not?” retorted the other. “I don’t 
change a thing if it’s good. Your boy seems to 
have eyes in his head.” 

As soon as they had risen from the table, the 
men began their stroll through the stable and 
barn. Jos and Stefeli joyfully realized their 
chance to take another walk, for there were still 
many things for Jos to see. 

Early next afternoon the two men wandered 
through the blooming fields and meadows of 
Lesa’s property. Mrs. Lesa was taking the 
children to the sunny slope where the first straw¬ 
berries were ripening, for she knew that that 
would please them both. She had planned this 

separation, as the men had many affairs to talk 

246 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


over. Busy with observations of the blooming 
trees, the luscious grass and the fields which 
promised a plenteous harvest, they had reached 
the slope where Lesa’s fine forest ground began. 

Before they started up the forest path, shaded 
by beautiful beech trees, Lorenz stood still a mo¬ 
ment, gazing down at the dwelling-house which 
looked up so invitingly from the high walnut 
trees surrounding it. 

“ Vinzenz, you are a lucky man,” he said at 
last, “Joy and peace in your house and every¬ 
thing about you in such fine shape that no one 
could wish for anything better. And all this is 
your own property.” 

“Yes, and another place in Freiburg with 
twice as many cows as here and grass enough to 
fill the bam to the top.” 

The furrow in Vinzenz Lesa’s brow grew 
deeper while he spoke as if worse things yet 
were coming. 

“ I get twelve cheeses a year from the milk.” 

“ I see no reason for you to despair, Vinzenz,” 
said the other with laughing eyes. “ I never 
knew that the other place belonged to you as 
well. So you have two fine properties. Well, I 

can’t help wondering about you. Our Lord has 

247 


VINZI 


heaped you with blessings, and you show a face 
as if you had nothing but storms to battle.” 

“ It is easy for you to talk,” said Vinzenz 
grimly. “You have three fine, strong boys, fit 
for work. But look at me! After all the work 
I have done here, I shall have to see it go to 
pieces. I can’t be in two places at once, and my 
son won’t open his eyes and see the fine life that 
lies before him. Hundreds might envy him. 
When I inherited this place, I left my father’s 
home, where every tree seemed like a comrade 
and every piece of livestock had grown up under 
my very eyes. You can believe me that I hated 
to go. But you have no idea how run down and 
neglected this place was, and I knew that no 
stranger would undertake to look after it. I said 
to myself that I would do it for my boy; in a few 
years he would be old enough to manage it him¬ 
self and then I could go home again. I even 
brought the property up more quickly than I ex¬ 
pected to. Don’t you yourself say that it looks 
like a blooming garden from one end to the other? 
Shall I let it run down again or shall I let my 
other place go to such ruin that one can’t recog¬ 
nize it any longer? Tell me what you think? 
Don’t you think I have good cause to worry, and 

248 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


do you wonder I don’t sing and whistle? You 
can see now how I stand! ” 

“ It is not half so bad as you think,” retorted 
Lorenz with a cheerful face. “ You have a boy 
who is sure to amount to something fine one day. 
But you don’t only have a boy, you have a 
daughter besides, who is sure to bring you 
nothing but pleasure. Let six or seven years 
pass. You are an active man and can easily keep 
up both estates till then. By that time you can 
give over this place here to your girl. She’ll 
know how to look after it, and you can go back 
home once more. I shouldn’t w r onder if some¬ 
body would turn up by then who would gladly 
share the work and responsibility with her. Your 
place will be in good hands then.” 

Lorenz was walking on but stopped once 
more. 

“ I nearly forgot to ask you the most im¬ 
portant question,” he said. “ What do you want 
to do with Jos? Do you wish to keep him, or 
would you rather be left by yourself? He is not 
slow to learn.” 

“ I can see that,” remarked Vinzenz. 

“ You’ll probably miss him, and I feel in your 

249 


VINZI 


debt already, for Vinzi was no help to you 
in anything.” 

Lorenz eagerly remonstrated. Vinzenz 
should just hear his wife on the subject and she 
would tell him something else. She herself had 
suggested bringing Jos to them. She had never 
wanted any of her boys to go away, but since 
Vinzi had been with them, she thought that Jos 
would learn only good things in such a household. 
She also maintained that gratitude had to be 
shown for leaving Vinzi with them so long, 
besides having the hope that Vinzi might return 
if Jos stayed with them for a while and was able 
to serve them likewise. 

“Tell me frankly,” concluded the cousin, 
“ have you another reason for hesitating in 
keeping Jos? ” 

“ That is my only reason,” was the firm reply. 

“Then Jos shall stay here and you can send 
him home any time it suits you.” 

Lorenz quickened his pace now, for he wished 
to have plenty of leisure left to talk with cousin 
Stefane and her little daughter. He already felt 
bound to them in great friendship. 

When the evening was over, he wanted to say 
good-bye to Stefeli for he had to leave early the 

250 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 

next morning, when she would be sound asleep. 
But Stefeli, giving her hand, refused to do so, 
and in the morning, long before sunrise, she stood 
under the door and looked at her uncle with 
laughing eyes. She had grown so fond of this 
friendly man that she did not mind getting up 
so early; she had firmly made up her mind to see 
him off. 

But Stefeli also had another plan. As soon 
as her uncle was downstairs she said casually, 
“Can Jos stay here now? Can he stay all 
summer till fall? ” 

“ Yes, yes,” smilingly replied the uncle, “till 
your father sends him away.” 

The mother had prepared steaming coffee to 
strengthen her relative on his homeward journey. 
Jos had got up even before Stefeli and could be 
heard outside with the father. The boy had seen 
the stable door open and had run in to examine 
his uncle’s beautiful cows, one after the other. 
Vinzenz seemed well pleased with this early visit. 
The boy uttered one cry of admiration after 
another, as well as suitable observations about the 
different animals. For a time the farmer watched 
the boy as he went from stall to stall and looked 
at all the cows. But when Jos was so lost in the 

251 


VINZI 


contemplation of the tidy stable and its in¬ 
habitants that he had forgotten everything else, 
the uncle said: 

“ I think we had better go to the house 
before your father leaves. He might escape 
us otherwise.” 

“Dear me, I never thought of that!” ex¬ 
claimed Jos, and bounded away like an arrow. 

After many hearty shakings of the hand the 
uncle started on his way. Vinzenz wished to 
accompany him to the borders of his property, 
and the others went as far as the garden hedge. 

When the men had disappeared, Stefeli asked 
quickly, “ Jos, wouldn’t you like to go to the 
pasture? Then I could, too, if you want me to.” 

“ Certainly. But you can’t ask me what 
I want,” replied Jos, “because I am not 
master here.” 

“ Oh, I wish one could be master for once,” 
sighed Stefeli. 

The father soon returned, and as the mother 
had found several things to attend to in the 
vegetable garden, he met all three outside. He 
went up to Jos, while Stefeli stood with round 
expectant eyes behind the boy. 

“ It seems to me you find real pleasure in the 

252 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


cows, Jos. Are you willing to take charge of 
them and take them to the pasture? ” asked the 
father. “ You are your own master then all day. 
I’ll leave you in absolute charge of them, for you 
know what there is to do. The child can 0*0 with 

o 

you and can help in case of need. She knows all 
the roads hereabouts and also a good deal about 
her business. Does that suit you? ” 

“ Oh, yes, I’d like to do that best of all,” cried 
Jos, while Stefeli leaped for joy. Then she 
raced into the house after her mother, as prepara¬ 
tions for the day must be made at once. The 
father meanwhile went to the stable with Jos, as 
it was time to start. 

Stefeli had never pictured to herself how 
wonderful it would be to be outside again and to 
chase her old friends and then cool off again 
under the shady ash tree. Jos’s great joy in 
everything he saw and experienced would have 
carried Stefeli along, even if she had not been 
filled with happiness and joy herself. All her old 
acquaintances were there again, besides four 
gorgeous new red and white spotted cows, which 
her father had fetched from Freiburg. Another 
young Schwarzeli was there, too, which galloped 
just as merrily from one side of the pasture to the 

253 


VINZI 


other as Stefeli’s other favorite had done, and 
often jumped over fences and bridges if they did 
not catch her in time. Stefeli remembered all 
their characteristics and told Jos about them. 
They would get to know the four new ones before 
very long. 

Jos grasped things eagerly and always 
retained his knowledge. It seemed miraculous to 
Stefeli how he could outguess a cow when she 
wanted to run off. Then he caressed and calmed 
her. He caught Schwarzeli by the tail while 
giving her first bound, before she started flying 
off across the pasture like the wind. It was 
exactly as if he could tell by looking at them just 
when they wanted to escape. Not much running 
had to be done, therefore, and Jos always said to 
the child, “ Just stay under the tree, Stefeli, I 
can manage them quite well alone.” 

And he was right. He had learned to under¬ 
stand the new cows so quickly that they made 
large astonished eyes when their plans to run 
away were always frustrated from the start. 

Beside his duties Jos found plenty of time 
frequently to leap up for joy. Often he sang 
and yodelled so loudly that it re-echoed from all 
the hills. His voice was so fine and melodious 

254 



STEFELI ALWAYS SPREAD OUT THEIR LUNCH UNDER THE ASH TREE 






OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 

that Stefeli was charmed by it and would beg 
over and over, “ Sing again, Jos, sing it for me 
again. The morning always passed so quickly 
that the two looked at each other questioningly 
when they heard the sounds of the noonday bell 
from far away. It seemed hardly possible that 
so many hours had already passed. 

Stefeli always spread out their lunch under 
the ash tree in the good old way. After a search¬ 
ing glance at the cows, who had quietly settled 
down about them in the sunshine, Jos sat down 
willingly by Stefeli. He first of all admired the 
neatly spread repast before him, for he had never 
seen a meal set out so perfectly outdoors. 
The swaying branches above gave them the 
needed shade. 

“ I am sure no one else could spread a table 
as well as you can, Stefeli,” he said, full of 
admiration. Then he began to eat everything 
Stefeli offered him with the heartiest appetite. 

The afternoon passed as quickly as the morn¬ 
ing, and when they were strolling homewards in 
the bright evening light, Stefeli said, “ Oh, it 
was lovely today. I hope all the other days will 
be exactly like it.” 

“ I hope so, too,” repeated Jos. 

255 


VINZI 


Vinzenz Lesa stood at his barn and watched 
his herd coming home. Jos was running along¬ 
side of the cows, first on one side and then on the 
other. This kept them walking in a neat row, 
instead of running first here, then there. 

“ A quick, orderly boy,” said Vinzenz Lesa to 
himself, as he slowly met the procession on its 
way to the stable. 

A series of perfect days followed, and the 
children had the happiest times. Stefeli’s wish 
seemed to be fulfilled, for she fairly beamed with 
joy and well-being all day long, and Jos sang and 
yodelled louder every day from sheer happiness. 

“ It’s just as if Vinzi were back since Jos is 
with us. Don’t you think so, mother? ” said 
Stefeli, coming home one day with cheeks flushed, 
partly from delight and partly from the bright 
light of the setting sun. Jos as usual had stayed 
outside with his uncle. 

“Yes,” replied the mother. “ As long as we 
can’t have Vinzi, I am glad Jos takes his place. 
I like Jos as much as if he belonged to us.” 

“ I, too,” said Stefeli without hesitation. 
“ But there are three times when I had a better 

time with Vinzi. In the morning, in the evening, 

256 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


and on rainy days. It was much nicer then when 
Vinzi was at home.” 

The mother well understood what Stefeli al¬ 
luded to, but she asked the child to let Jos go on 
his way, as he was doing his duty and it would be 
wrong of her to hinder him in that. 

“ I have tried already, but it does no good.” 
said Stefeli frankly. 

She was forbidden to do so again. The 
mother was only too glad and grateful to see how 
Jos occupied himself at those times, even if 
Stefeli was displeased. He did so of his own 
free will, and she had noticed that it had actually 
improved her husband’s temper. 

Jos was always the first up in the morning, 
and if the stable, which was his favorite resort, 
was still closed, he thought of something which 
had to be set in order in the barn. In this way 
Vinzenz would find him busy with hammering or 
mending something. The boy always came to 
breakfast at the very last minute when the coffee 
was put upon the table. He didn’t even notice 
how impatiently Stefeli was waiting for him. In 
the evening after their return Jos could not be 

lured away from his cows till the last one had 

17 257 


VINZI 


returned from watering and was comfortably 
bedded on the straw. 

The mother had always set the steaming pot 
on the table before he came in. Stefeli never 
could count on running over to the wild straw¬ 
berry bed with Jos, therefore. 

On rainy days Jos always disappeared 
entirely. He knew in the early morning what 
work had to be done that day in the fields, the 
hills, the woods or on the trees. When it rained, 
he would quickly ask his uncle, “ Can I go with 
the man today? ” 

The other always agreed, “Why not, if you 
don’t mind the rain? ” 

Rain didn’t bother Jos at all. Everything 
that grew and brought in fruit interested him 
so much that he wanted to see it and have a hand 
in it if possible. Best of all, he liked it when the 
wood which had been felled had to be brought 
home from the forest. Then the horse was 
hitched to a large lumber wagon and Jos sat on 
the high seat beside the hired man. As soon as 
they had left the house behind them the man 
would say, “ There, take them if you want to 
drive.” Giving Jos the reins, he stretched out 
full length in the wagon to sleep a little longer. 

258 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


Jos knew the horse well and the horse knew him, 
so the matter went very smoothly. Jos had 
already helped in eveiy kind of farm work and 
knew exactly when things were in order or when 
something was amiss. He took hold of every¬ 
thing with such spirit and eagerness that he 
acquired an instinct for what was needed when 
matters went wrong. 

In the beginning Vinzenz Lesa had said to 
his wife in a bitter tone, “ Just look how he enjoys 
everything! He works with such an eagerness, 
as if it were his own. Look at the pleasure he 
finds in it all! And my own boy, for whom we 
work, has never even seen it.” 

But everything had turned out to make Mrs. 
Lesa happy. Her husband spoke every day in a 
different tone about Jos. He could say quite 
cheerfully now: “ The boy has four eyes in his 
head. He discovers what I overlook myself and 
the man would never have seen. He actually 
sees everything. I can entirely depend on him 
as on no one else, and he is so handy that it is a 
pleasure to see him work.” 

Mrs. Lesa saw her husband’s growing delight 
in their young nephew with hearty feelings of 
gratitude. He was in a much better humor than 

259 


VINZI 


he had been for years. When during the after¬ 
noon she was sitting quietly and undisturbed in 
her room, her thoughts unerringly dwelt upon 
Vinzi and she pondered about his future. She 
wondered if he would return after a year and 
take up the life his father wished him to, in which 
case he would never be really happy. Or if he 
had definitely chosen a new path for himself, 
which would forever estrange him from his 
father. She lost herself in imaginary conversa¬ 
tions with her son, and the slightest noise made 
her start up, as she would think that her boy 
might have suddenly returned. 

So it happened one day when her thoughts 
had been busy with Vinzi that the housedoor was 
opened and the noise of several footsteps neared 
the room. Mrs. Lesa had jumped up and run¬ 
ning to the door had quickly opened it. 

“ Old friends, who are looking for shelter in 
your house,” said a vigorous man’s voice. 

That same instant a slight hand grasped hers, 
then another. Only then could she really see them. 

“Welcome! Welcome, Alida, Hugo! Wel¬ 
come, Mr. Thornau! ” she cried, heartily 
delighted. “ Are you staying in our parts again? ” 

“Not exactly, but we are here for the 

260 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


present,” said Mr. Thornau, returning her 
friendly handshake. “We’ll stay here, if you 
will receive us. But if you say no, we’ll have to 
wander home again. Before everything else, I 
must tell you that I am bringing you two 
children who have lost their mother. They have 
asked me to come here, for nowhere else 
will suit them.” 

Mrs. Lesa was won over already. “ The 
poor children,” she said to herself, “ and the poor 
father,” she added. Then she turned to the latter. 

“ Mr. Thornau,” she said, “ won’t you stay 
here till evening when my husband comes home? 
Then we can talk it over.” 

“ And what does his wife say? ” asked 
Mr. Thornau. 

“ Oh, she would love to take their mother’s 
place for a time, if she could,” replied Mrs. Lesa. 

“ I am glad! ” he exclaimed with satisfaction. 

He was willing to wait for Mr. Lesa and 
settled meanwhile imder the shady walnut trees 
with his children. 

Vinzenz Lesa looked with surprise at the 
guests he found waiting before his house. But 
there was not much time for wondering, because 
Mr. Thornau had gone up to him and eloquently 

261 


VINZI 


informed him of the reason for this visit. He 
was sure Mr. Lesa would not shut his door 
against him and especially his children, who had 
declared that they would not spend their summer 
anywhere in the world except at Mr. Lesa’s resi¬ 
dence. He had come with the firm hope that Mr. 
Lesa would not turn them away and begged him 
not to propose a house in the neighborhood they 
already knew, as the children simply would not 
go back there. He had no intention, either, of 
forcing them to it. It meant either Mr. Lesa’s 
house or going home again. As it was impossible 
for him to stay with the children just then, he 
could not leave them anywhere else alone. 

Vinzenz Lesa was not displeased at hearing 
the gentleman’s words—either his house or none. 
But still, one could not tell what these children 
might bring into his home, for he hardly knew 
the people. 

After reflecting a while he answered, 4 4 It 
falls to my wife; looking after children is 
her affair . 09 

This suited him best. If his wife wanted to 
keep them, as he suspected already, it would be 

his wife’s concern. If they got into mischief, she 

262 



OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


would have to look out for them, for she had 
taken them in. 

“ With pleasure,” replied Mr. Thornau. 
Quickly turning to Mrs. Les& he said, “Every¬ 
thing is settled, I suppose, foi I think you have 
already said yes in your heart.” Mrs. Lesa 
heartily shook Mr. Thornau’s hand, for he had 
been right. She had long ago decided to keep 
the motherless children and show them all the 
affection she was capable of. 

Mr. Thornau was anxious to take immediate 
leave, as he had planned to journey on as soon as 
he knew his children were in good hands. Then 
Mrs. Lesa consulted him about their life, what 
their occupations and pleasures were to be. Her 
own children had always led the most simple life, 
she told him. Mr. Thornau wished for nothing 
better than to give them the life hers were lead¬ 
ing. To be up on the pasture from morning till 
evening would be the best for them he could hope 
for. The rest of the time Mrs. Lesa could 
judge for herself. 

To his great disappointment Alida’s music 
lessons had been given up. He had always 

enjoyed her playing. His chief wish was to see 

263 


VINZI 

them both come back to him sunburnt and with 
blooming cheeks, just as her own lad looked. 

Taking Mrs. Lesa a little apart, pointing 
to his sad-looking, pale boy, he added, “ I am sure 
I won’t have to specially recommend him to your 
care. Just look at him! He never was very 
strong or happy, and since he has lost his mother 
he is worse than ever. No life, no spirits, no 
interest in anything! The doctor actually 
insisted on my sending him away.” 

Mr. Thornau quickly took farewell till the 
autumn, when he planned to see them all. 

Just then Jos and Stefeli, merrily chatting, 
came home with the cows. Jos disappeared in 
the stable as usual and Stefeli slowly approached 
the house. There was no hurry, for her mother 
was busy in the kitchen and Jos would not come 
back yet for at least an hour. 

Suddenly her slow steps turned into great 
leaps, for at the strawberry hedge she had dis¬ 
covered two figures. Could it really be true? 
And yet it was! With a cry of joy Stefeli 
ran over to Alida and Hugo. Alida also 
greeted Stefeli with loud, continued expressions 
of delight. 


264 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 

“ But where is Vinzi? ” asked Alida when the 
greetings were over. 

Stefeli told her how long he had been away 
and that no one knew when he would come back. 

Alida looked extremely disappointed, but 
Stefeli always had a consolation ready. 

“ I am sure he’ll come home while you are 
here. Jos is here, too, and you’ll be sure to like 
him. Will you stay all summer long? ” 

Alida assented. “ And we are to spend our 
days on the pasture, because papa wants us to,” 
she added, “ but it is a shame Vinzi won’t be 
with us.” 

Stefeli answered Alida that it was never dull 
up on the pasture. Her father had prophesied 
a long stretch of good weather, and that meant 
that they would be out of doors all day. 

Mr. Lesa had been right. The merry little 
group could wander up day after day to the 
sunny pasture, and Mrs. Lesa saw to it that a 
really nourishing meal was always taken along. 
Alida was in perfect raptures over this free life, 
hitherto unknown to her. What a blissful 
beginning of the day to start off in the early 
morning, when she was usually lying asleep in 
bed behind her heavy curtains! How delicious 

265 


VINZI 


the pure air was! All the birds in the trees sang 
and whistled so that it sounded like a loud chorus 
of joy to God. 

The two girls would start out together on 
little trips to explore the interesting places on the 
large, wide pasture. Sometimes they would seek 
berries or flowers; another time they went to the 
old wall where the shining lizards sunned them¬ 
selves, or listened attentively when the children 
began to sing. Stefeli knew that if they were 
silent or made the least movement, the little green 
creatures would quickly slip away. Alida found 
it an especial treat to be able to sit down any¬ 
where on the sun-dried ground. She had not 
experienced this before and it gave her constant 
pleasure. Stefeli was always ready to settle 
down beside her, and everything furnished them 
with subjects for lively conversation. 

On the first morning, when Stefeli had 
promised to waken Alida early, both girls stood 
fresh and full of enterprise before the barn, 
waiting for Jos. He had to loosen the cows from 
their chains before driving them out. Hugo had 
come down from his room, because his father had 
wished him to go along to the pasture. 

He looked so frail and tired that it hurt Mrs. 

266 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


Lesa to look at him. She led him affectionately 
back to his room, and fixing the cushions on his 
bed, told him to rest a little longer. There was 
no hurry for him to go, for a little later on she 
would take him up and show him the way herself, 
lie would never have to start quite so early, if he 
did not want to. 

For the first time since he had lost his mother, 
Hugo felt himself sheltered again by a mother’s 
affectionate care. From that day on a great love 
for her began to fill his heart. She watched over 
him like a mother and saw to it that everything 
was done for him that might do him good. In 
these first days the quiet boy, who was still bear¬ 
ing a great sorrow in his heart, spent many hours 
alone iri Mrs. Lesa’s company. He found great 
consolation in it and learned to feel such confi¬ 
dence in her that he began to talk about his 
mother. She listened with such sympathy that 
they always returned to that subject when he was 
with her. 

The comfort the boy found in her warm 
interest was soon apparent. One day Hugo 
came down quite early into the gleaming sun¬ 
shine. He had never done it since that first day 
when he had looked so pale and tired. He 

267 


VINZI 


already seemed much stronger and to Mrs. 
Lesa’s joy wished to go right up to the pasture. 
Till then he had preferred to sit in the house till 
she sent him out and accompanied him part way. 

Hugo found Jos alone on the pasture, sing¬ 
ing and whistling while he strolled about among 
the cows. Alida and Stefeli had gone on a little 
trip of discovery. It seemed as if Hugo saw the 
beautiful creatures who were grazing here and 
there, looking about them, for the first time in his 
life. He began to ask Jos many questions, for 
after watching them carefully he had noticed how 
much they differed in their looks as well as in 
their ways. He had always thought that cows 
were just cows, one like another. Jos was in his 
element now and grew talkative, drawing 
Hugo’s attention to all the animals’ habits. The 
subject proved so contagious that Hugo con¬ 
ceived a keen interest in them and wanted to hear 
all about them. He only had to ask to be told 
what he wished to know. Jos could describe 
them with such keen vividness that Hugo grew 
most eager to share Jos’s knowledge and to find 
pleasure in it. He soon knew what fodder was 
the best for milk, which was made first into 

butter and then into cheese, and how the milk had 

268 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


to be handled for that purpose. He also learned 
that the Alpine herdsmen preferred Vinzenz 
Lesa’s milk to any other because his cows were of 
the best stock and were so immaculately kept. 

The two were still talking eagerly when to 
their great astonishment Stefeli came running 
toward them and spread out their mid-day meal 
under the swaying ash tree. They had been so 
lost in their conversation that they had not 
noticed how the time had flown. This had suited 
Stefeli, too, because she had come back rather 
late from her expedition. Alida also appeared 
and in the best of humor as the four sat down to 
lunch. All of them felt especially merry, because 
Hugo had never been so lively and gay. 

“ We’ll pretend we are a family,” suggested 
Alida, “ and we must always stay the same. 
Hugo is the proprietor of an estate and I am 
his sister, the unmarried lady of the mansion. 
Jos is our manager.” 

“ Then Stefeli can be the mistress,” was 
Hugo’s proposition. 

“ But Hugo, she couldn’t be,” Jos cried out. 
“ Stefeli cooks for us and sets the table. She 
couldn’t be the gentleman’s wife, she must be 
my wife.” 


269 


VINZI 


“Jos is right,” decided Alida, “ we’ll have it 
that way, then.” 

“You see the owner has a mother; that’s 
much better than a wife,” said Hugo. “ When 
Mrs. Lesa visits us some day, you’ll have to 
receive her as my mother and prepare a great 
feast for her.” 

This thought met great approval, and they 
began to plan immediately for this feast. Alida 
invented such astonishing plans for the celebra¬ 
tion with torches and rockets that Jos said, 
“ Then our cows will all jump over the hedges 
from fright and the people at the feast will have 
to climb after them in their festive jackets.” 

All four burst into loud laughter at this 
picture, which brought a sudden end to these 
extravagant plans. Their meal was ended and 
they settled here and there in the shadows of the 
broad branches. Soon all four were sound 
asleep, fanned by the leafy bows above them. 
They slept as well as if they had been lying on 
regal couches. On Hugo’s pale cheeks the air 
and sunshine, gently caressing him, roused a 
faint rosy color. 

Talking merrily, the whole company after¬ 
ward came wandering down from the pasture, 

£70 


OLD FRIENDS AND NEW LIFE 


aglow from the golden light of the setting sun. 
As usual Jos went to the stable and Hugo dis¬ 
appeared with him. 

“ Oh, dear, now he begins it, too,” said 
Stef eh. “ I only wonder what he wants to do 
there still.” 

“ Just let him go,” remarked Alida, “ I am 
glad of it. He is much happier when he is with 
Jos. I have noticed that today.” 


CHAPTER XI 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 

A UTUMN was here. In Lesa’s household 
it had come much too soon for every one, 
and the children could not believe that 
their days on the pasture were nearly over. 
Hugo and Alida would soon have to go right into 
the heart of a large city far away. Jos would go 
home to his mountain, while poor Stefeli would 
be left behind, unhappy and alone. 

“ I don’t want to be always alone,” said 
Stefeli determinedly, when they had discussed 
their prospects on one of their last days together. 
“I’ll send a letter to Uncle Lorenz. You know 
he promised me something.” 

“ I suppose Vinzi will soon come back,” said 
Alida, “ and he’ll be wonderful company for you. 
We would have had lots more fun if he had been 
with us this summer. There were so many things 
I wanted to talk to him about, things none of you 
could understand.” 

The same day Vinzenz Lesa said to his wife, 
“ I hope Lorenz won’t come yet to fetch Jos 

272 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


home. It has been such a good year that we still 
have our hands full. Things have to be done on 
every side and I can’t do them without the boy. 
He has the best memory and such good ideas; 
common sense, besides, enough for three, and a 
love and interest in the work as if it were all for 
himself, instead of for us. He just wants to keep 
the farm in good shape. I would give half the 
place to have such a son. It would mean so 
much to me.” 

“ Let’s be glad he is still with us,” replied the 
wife, “ and I think he’ll stay yet for a while. 
Good Cousin Lorenz hasn’t even warned us yet.” 

Mr. Delrick sent word from time to time, and 
a letter had come rather lately with the usual 
good news. Vinzi was well and everything going 
smoothly. Mr. Delrick seemed to be in no hurry 
for Vinzi’s return, though the year of his absence 
was practically over. 

A few days later when the children walked 
into the room one night a large letter lay on 
the table. 

“ That’s from papa,” cried Alida, upon see¬ 
ing the handwriting. It was addressed to 
Mr. Lesa. 

“ Now everything is over,” said Hugo, who 

18 273 


VINZI 


had come in also. “ You’ll find that we’ll have to 
go now, Alida.” 

The children were quite frightened, for even 
while they had discussed their departure, none of 
them had realized how near it really was. Even 
Jos, who had joined them, made large, bewildered 
eyes. He had never quite pictured to himself 
the end of their bliss, and just lately least of all, 
when he and Hugo had been drawn so closely to 
each other in friendship. Should this all be over 
for good now, with their separation? 

As soon as the father came in, he took up the 
letter, only to put it aside again. He only read 
letters when there was nothing else to do, and 
supper was more important. When Mrs. Lesa 
had brought it in and had looked after every one’s 
needs, she asked her husband if she should open 
the letter. She knew that the children, who had 
recognized their father’s handwriting, were most 
anxious to hear it. As he willingly agreed, she 
first read the message to herself. All she told 
them, however, was that Mr. Thomau would 
arrive in a few days to fetch his children home. 
They would hear about the rest the next day. A 
deep silence followed. Soon the four children 
quietly stole away from the table, one by 

274 


one. 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 

They met outside under the large walnut tree 
according to a previous plan. Here, under the 
old tree as a staunch witness, they gave each other 
the solemn promise to do everything in their 
power to reunite next summer. They longed to 
spend as perfect a summer together again. 
When the children had gone to bed and Vinzenz 
Lesa had lit his pipe, Mrs. Lesa sat down beside 
him to read aloud Mr. Thornau’s letter. He was 
writing from Dresden, where he had stopped a 
few days. He had gone there to see Mr. Delrick, 
who had decided to join him on his trip to 
Switzerland. This would give him an oppor¬ 
tunity personally to bring the parents news about 
their son. But, as Mr. Thornau’s time was 
extremely limited, he unfortunately would have 
to take the last train to Leuk on Sunday evening 
and leave again with the earliest train on 
Monday. He therefore made them a proposal. 
If the Lesa family, including their little 
daughter, would bring his children to Freiburg 
on Sunday, they could all spend a pleasant day 
together in that city. As Freiburg was Mr. 
Lesa’s former home, Mr. Thornau had a hope 
that it was possible to persuade Mr. Lesa to go 
there. They might arrive early on Sunday 

275 


VINZI 


afternoon, and he and Mr. Delrick would meet 
them at the train, as they expected to reach 
Freiburg earlier. 

In conclusion he said that Mr. Lesa and his 
wife would, by doing him this favor, crown their 
former kindness to his children. A refusal of his 
expectations would mean no less to him than a 
hailstorm to Mr. Lesa’s fields. 

Vinzenz Lesa remained silent for quite a 
while. Then he asked, “ Does he write nothing 
about our boy? ” 

Mrs. Lesa answered that the only thing about 
Vinzi was what she had read, namely, that Mr. 
Delrick was anxious to give them news about the 
boy in person. 

“ Do you know why he doesn’t want to bring 
him? ” asked Lesa further. 

“We can’t know that,” replied the wife. 

“ But we can guess, and I’ll tell you why. 
The reason is that Mr. Delrick realizes that he 
mustn’t make him into a travelling musician. He 
is in no hurry to bring him home, because he has 
turned his thoughts further than ever from farm¬ 
ing and he is afraid to tell me. I know he is a 
good man, but he has made a mistake. Every¬ 
body dislikes admitting such a thing.” 

276 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


Vinzenz Lesa blew such thick clouds of smoke 
from his pipe that his wife found it advisable to 
let them disperse a little. Then she said 
cautiously, “ I think we had better hear first what 
Mr, Delrick has to say. It will be a blessing to 
be able to talk to him. What do you say about 
going to Freiburg? ” 

“ I wouldn’t think of going,” said her 
husband curtly. “You don’t suppose I’ll go as 
far as that for no reason whatever. Why should 
I go to Freiburg, as if I had nothing else to do? ” 

“ Nobody who knows you could possibly 
think that,” said his wife. “ Besides, Mr. 
Thomau hasn’t fixed it on a Sunday for nothing. 
He knows well enough you wouldn’t come during 
the week. He asks us most politely, and it would 
have been easy for him to tell any other person to 
fetch the children home. Apparently, he would 
value it very much if we took the children to him. 
I must admit, Vinzenz, that I have grown 
extremely fond of them. They have both clearly 
shown me how they hate to leave. I’d love to go 
and put them into his hands myself.” 

“ Why don’t you go with them, then? ” he 

retorted, still showing an obstinate disinclination 

277 


VINZI 


in his voice. “ You had better go to Freiburg. 
You are sufficient escort for them.” 

“ No, Vinzenz, I won’t do it,” answered his 
wife with firm decision. “You can see from the 
letter that Mr. Thornau wants you, too. You 
also know that I couldn’t settle with Mr. Delrick 
what is further to be done about the boy. We’ll 
either go together, or we won’t go at all. It is 
for you to decide.” 

The silence which followed proved too long 
for Mrs. Lesa and she began again. “ I don’t 
really see why we shouldn’t go to Freiburg as 
long as they ask us to. Don’t you remember how 
delighted we used to be as children when father 
and mother would take us there on a Sunday? 
We were the happiest creatures on earth sitting 
in the high carriage between them with such 
exciting adventures before us. We really should 
do it for memory’s sake. We always went to 
church first and heard the beautiful organ. Do 
you remember how your mother insisted on doing 
this first of all? Wouldn’t it give you pleasure 
to go back? It also would give you a splendid 
chance to run over to your farm. You ought to 
have looked it over long ago, and you are sure to 
find lots of things to attend to. Now that Jos 

278 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


is with us, you can leave much more easily than 
afterward. You’ll have a lot of important 
things to do there, and if nothing special takes 
you there, you’ll never make up your mind to 
go. You had better take the journey before 
something actually goes wrong and you might 
have reason to blame yourself for not having 
gone before.” 

The thought that the trip might have a good 
side had begun to take hold of Vinzenz Lesa. 
Very deliberately, but still unwillingly, he 
replied, “ How did you think of all these things? 
I don’t see how we could be away so long. It 
would take at least three days.” 

“ Yot for everybody,” replied Mrs. Lesa 
promptly, for she had thought out everything 
minutely. “We can easily attend to things here 
on Sunday morning before leaving. We’ll be in 
Freiburg early in the afternoon and that same 
evening I’ll travel home as far as I can with the 
children, in order to get here as soon as possible 
on Monday morning.” 

“ How many children do you expect to bring 

home? The two strangers will have gone and 

you yourself have only one. ” 

279 


VINZI 


This time the husband had found the words 
first. 

“ Only our two, Jos and Stefeli; I don’t mean 
to bring strangers home,” his wife said calmly. 

“ What! You want to take Jos along, too? ” 
said Yinzenz Lesa much excited. “ That would 
make it out of the question for me to go. If Jos 
isn’t home to keep things in order, I won’t even 
budge from here! Count on that.” 

But Mrs. Lesa began to show him how easily 
their hired man could look after the simple work 
in the stable which had to be done on Sunday. 
Monday morning Jos would be back again. In 
this way nothing would be neglected. “ Just 
think, Yinzenz,” concluded his wife, “ what Jos 
has done for us. He has been with us a long 
while and we have not done the slightest thing 
for him. I am sure it would give him pleasure to 
go along. We owe it only to him if you have 
time now to look over your other farm to see what 
has to be done there. You can easily stay away 
a week, for I promise to look after the farm if I 
have Jos, so you won’t need to grumble.” 

Vinzenz Lesa was a just man, eager to act 
upon what he felt to be right. He was glad to 
give Jos a well-earned holiday and to have the 

280 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


opportunity besides of carrying out a needful 
undertaking. After weighing the matter care¬ 
fully, he finally declared, “ All right, we’ll go 
then, but tell Jos about it as soon as possible. He 
can plan things out beforehand so everything 
will stay in order while he is gone.” 

“ Tomorrow,” said Mrs. Lesa, happy at 
having such pleasant prospects to tell the 
children, especially her ever-willing Jos. 

At the news of their coming expedition the 
children showed unbounded delight. Alida and 
Stefeli jumped from sheer enthusiasm and Hugo 
said, “Now everything isn’t quite over yet. It 
will be much easier for us to go away if every¬ 
body comes along.” 

Jos could hardly realize the treat that lay 
before him. It was too wonderful to be taken to 
Freiburg and see the city and get a glimpse of 
the fine country on the way. From joy and 
astonishment he could scarcely say a word. It 
would be his first journey, for he had never been 
away from his moimtain except when he had 
come to Leuk. 

Sunday arrived. The whole company 
travelled gaily across the beautiful country which 
lay gleaming in the brightest sunshine. The trip 

281 


VINZI 


proved even more delightful than they had antici¬ 
pated. Alida and Stefeli never stopped talking, 
and Hugo kept busy either joining in with them 
or pointing out the interesting things along the 
way, which they would have overlooked on 
account of their constant chatter. Jos, on the 
contrary, was so absorbed in the new, beautiful 
things on every side that he never took his eyes 
from the landscape and remained in the deepest 
silence, attentively gazing out. 

Thus the hours flew by unnoticed. Quite 
surprised, the children jumped up from their 
seats when the father said, “ Look out, now, we 
are nearly at Freiburg.” 

In a few minutes the name was actually 
called out and the train stopped. Mrs. Lesa 
looked out of the window expectantly to see if 
the gentlemen had come to meet them. Sure 
enough, there they were. But the mother uttered 
a low sigh. She had hoped till the last moment 
that Mr. Delrick, as a surprise, had brought their 
boy with him. But Vinzi wasn’t there. 

Loud cries of joy beside her drew her atten¬ 
tion to the two children, who flung themselves 
upon their father. Mr. Thornau now held them 

both in his arms and responded to their stormy 

282 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


greetings with exclamations of joyous surprise. 
ITe held his son a short distance from him and 
looked at him happily. 

“ And is this supposed to be my thin, frail 
Hugo, who had neither spirit nor strength. You 
look as sunburnt as a woodsman, with your fat 
cheeks and beaming eyes. Mrs. Lesa,” he called 
to the mother, “ what did you do with him? He 
is a different creature. And is this stalwart 
gipsy girl really my Alida? The blood throbs 
through your brown cheeks with health. Mrs. 
Lesa, Mrs. Lesa, how on earth did you do it? ” 

“ Oh, we know, we know how,” cried out the 
children simultaneously, and immediately began 
to relate to the father how they had spent 
their delicious summer days. It would have 
been impossible for Mrs. Lesa to give any 
information now. 

After greeting her husband, Mr. Delrick 
took Mrs. Lesa’s hand. Just is if he had read 
from her eyes what was in her heart, he said, 
“ Don’t worry about Vinzi, Mrs. Lesa. He is 
perfectly well, and he is still a great joy to me. 
The reason why he is not here is not a bad one, 
you must believe me. Oh, here is my little 

Stefeli, too, and another old friend besides,” he 

283 


VINZI 


continued, turning toward the children. “ I am 
glad Jos came, too, for he must belong entirely 
to your family by now.” 

“ Yes, like our own,” said Mrs. Lesa, putting 
her arms around the boy. “ Thank God that we 
have him.” 

“ I’d like to ask what you think about a plan 
we made,” continued Mr. Delrick. “ I wonder 
what Mr. Lesa will say. Our friend, Mr. 
Thornau, has asked us all to dinner today at a 
hotel quite near the beautiful old Nicholas 
church. So we thought it would be pleasant to 
go there first of all and then have a nice, quiet 
time together. 

Mrs. Lesa glanced at her husband, for she 
wanted him to decide. She herself was most 
anxious to go to the church immediately. Old 
memories had risen in Vinzenz Lesa’s mind as 
soon as he had set his foot in Freiburg. As a 
child he had known nothing more wonderful than 
to drive to Freiburg on a Sunday, and his little 
girl neighbor had felt the same. He had always 
loved to enter the tall, quiet church holding his 
mother’s hand. Whenever he heard the sounds 

of the wonderful organ, they revealed to him 

284 



RICH, POWERFUL TONES FLOATED THROUGH THE QUIET CHURCH 






































. 



















































*: 






































THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


a different world, one quite apart from his 
daily life. 

“ I’d be only too glad to go to church first,” 
he began. “ It is but suitable that we should go, 
as it is Sunday today.” 

At this the little company started off into the 
town. It was very still in the large old church, 
and so dark and solemn that the children stepped 
very lightly before settling down beside their 
parents. Suddenly the organ began to play, and 
rich, powerful tones floated through the quiet 
building. It seemed as if all the heavenly hosts 
were singing a hymn of praise and joy for all 
the world. 

Stefeli uttered a low cry and violently pulled 
her mother’s sleeve. “It is Vinzi, mother,” she 
said in intense excitement. The mother also had 
recognized her boy’s curly head at her first glance 
toward the organ. It had so surprised and 
overcome her that she could barely keep from 
sobbing aloud. 

She wanted her husband to share her deep 
emotion. Quietly touching him, she whispered, 
“ Vinzenz, it is Vinzi.” 

He gave no reply, nor looked up, seemingly 
unwilling to show he had been moved. The music 

285 


VINZ1 


suddenly changed. From a low plaint it swelled 
to a tremendous wail, is if a chorus of despairing 
creatures were cast down by sorrow and con¬ 
trition. In the midst of this, their grief reached 
its height and changed into meek, ardent en¬ 
treaties for help and mercy. At that moment 
the heavens seemed to open and a clear, lovely 
chant of angels brought down a message of love 
and eternal joy. Just in the middle of the angels’ 
choir, a rich, clear voice rang out and filled the 
church with the words: 

“ And the blessed song of mercy— ” 

Jos, upon hearing the well-known sounds, so 
much more glorious and inspiring than he had 
ever imagined them, had been completely earned 
away. At the ending where he had always 
joined in he could not stop himself from lustily 
singing his words to the chorus of angels. 

When the last tone faded away a deep silence 
reigned in the church. After a while both 
gentlemen rose. Vinzenz Lesa also got up, but 
he had been obliged to wipe his eyes a number 
of times. 

“ How can you believe such a thing,” he said 

to his wife in a hoarse voice in answer to the 

286 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


words she had whispered to him. “No one can 
tell me that was Vinzi.” 

Mr. Delrick stood immediately behind him. 
“ Mr. Lesa,” he said, patting him on the shoulder, 
we don’t need to believe anything till we have 
gone to the organ to see for ourselves.” 

“ He can certainly play, I know that,” said 
Mr. Thornau satisfied. “ How did you like 
it, Alida? ” 

“ Oh, it was wonderful and I wish it were not 
over yet.” 

“ Come, let us go along, too. I’d love to see 
who played,” and taking his daughter’s hand, 
Mr. Thornau followed the others up to the organ 
loft. Mr. Delrick had quickly gone ahead, and 
before the others had arrived, the same joyful 
melody greeted them again. Vinzenz Lesa, upon 
entering, stood stock still. At the organ really 
sat his curly-headed boy. As he was playing, 
the father could actually hear how he produced 
those stirring melodies. Nothing helped now, 
and Lesa had to wipe his eyes repeatedly. 

Vinzi had ceased, and his mother finally let 
Stefeli’s hand go. The child rushed to her 
brother and tenderly clung to him. Now the 
father came up with Mr. Delrick. 

287 


VINZI 


“ Mr. Lesa,” he said, “ your son has played 
you the song of mercy, and I hope you will also 
be merciful and forgive him if he does not want 
to become a farmer.” 

Lesa had grasped his son’s hand. “ More 
than that, more than that, Vinzi,” he finally said 
after a great effort to control himself. “ You 
make your parents proud of you and not what I 
used to think. I never realized such a thing 
could happen. I never, never knew it. When I 
used to come to Freiburg as a boy and heard this 
organ, I thought that people who played it were 
creatures entirely set apart, not human beings 
like one of us. You must be most thankful 
to Mr. Delrick, boy, for we owe him every¬ 
thing. He found the way for you and made 
this possible.” 

“ Not I, Mr. Lesa, not I,” Mr. Delrick 
remonstrated. “ Pater Silvanus is the one who 
knew what was in Vinzi and who knew what 
ought to be done with him. Let us be grateful 
to him. You shall also know right away that 
Vinzi is not losing time with a breadless art. He 
already has an offer from a church in Dresden to 
play every Sunday. I suppose you approve of 

that, Mr. Lesa? He’ll be able to keep on study- 

288 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


ing at the same time and I think the longer the 
better. I hope it will suit you to leave him with 
me for a few more years.” 

“ Whatever you deem wise, sir,” Lesa replied 
unhesitatingly, perfectly convinced that Mr. 
Helrick’s plans and his would evermore agree. 
Vinzenz Lesa was pleased that his friend had 
kept a long silence about Vinzi, until he could 
really prove his case. 

One surprise after another was in store for 
Vinzi. When Jos suddenly stepped up to him, 
Vinzi greeted his old friend with the greatest joy. 

“ So it was you, after all! ” he exclaimed. “I 
heard you singing down in the church and it 
nearly upset me. I had to think over and over 
again: ‘ Who knows our song and has a voice 
just like Jos’s? ’ But I thought you couldn’t be 
here, and here you are, after all.” In the greatest 
surprise he greeted Alida, Hugo and Mr. 
Thornau. Alida found so many things to talk 
over w r ith Vinzi about their past and future that 
Mr. Thornau found it wise to announce that the 
moment for dinner had arrived. Then all their 
conversations could be continued at leisure. 

However much Mr. Lesa fought against it, 
he was taken to dinner at the Zohringer Hotel, 

19 289 


VINZI 


where he had not set his foot in his life before. 
Unfortunately the hour of parting came much 
too soon for them all. 

“ You don’t know what I have to thank you 
for,” said Mr. Thornau to Vinzenz Lesa at leave- 
taking. “ My son, who never has shown the 
slightest inclination nor wish for any occupation, 
has just informed me that he has decided to 
become a landowner. After having already 
chosen the manager for his estate, he insists on 
getting all his cows from you. He says you have 
the finest that can be found anywhere, and he 
knows all about the breed. My daughter has 
been fighting against studying music for over a 
year and has not once opened her beautiful piano 
in spite of all my remonstrances. Now she 
declares to me that it is her highest wish to take 
up her lessons again. Hearing her former pupil 
play so beautifully makes her ambitious to work 
hard and catch up with him. I really mean it 
most seriously, Mr. Lesa, when I say that my 
gratitude for everything that my children have 
experienced in your house is much greater than 
I can say. I would love to prove it to you. 
Don’t you ever expect to get to Hamburg, 
Mr. Lesa? ” 


290 


4 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 

“ No, I don’t believe so,” said the latter truth¬ 
fully. “ But we are glad if the children have 
profited somewhat. We liked to have them and 
would like them to come again.” 

Mr. Thornau pressed Mrs. Lesa’s hand most 
gratefully, for his children had told him so much 
about her that he knew she had been a real mother 
to them. “ Will you let the children come back 
again? ” he asked sincerely. 

“It would make me quite unhappy if they 
didn’t come next summer,” she said half sadly, 
half happily, “ and I’ll look forward to their 
coming every summer.” 

Upon taking leave of Mr. Lesa, Mr. Delrick 
told him that they would see each other again, as 
he was planning to spend Vinzi’s holidays in 
Leuk. But first he intended to go to the Simplon 
in order to show Pater Silvanus how his pupil 
had progressed. If the father had no objection 
he would take Yinzi with him. Lesa replied that 
Mr. Delrick should do whatever he thought best. 

Yinzi, who was standing beside them, listened 

breathlessly. What had his father said? How 

could he sav this when he had forbidden him so 
* 

emphatically to go back to the mountain? 

Anxious to know the truth, he asked a little 

291 


VINZI 


timidly, “ Father, can I really go to the mountain 
with Mr. Delrick? ” 

“You may do whatever Mr. Delrick says,” 
replied the father. 

Yinzi’s eyes sparkled with delight. He was 
to return to the mountain in a few days and see 
every one he had loved so dearly. He would be 
able to thank Pater Silvanus, as he fully realized 
how much he had to be grateful for. 

That same hour all separated. The children 
found it quite impossible to get done with their 
leave-taking. Whenever they seemed to have 
finished, they began again. But they were far 
from sad, as they had the sure prospect of meet¬ 
ing again next summer. Vinzi was to be with 
them also, as Mr. Delrick had promised to come 
to Leuk at the beginning of his holidays. Mr. 
Thornau travelled in the direction of Basle, and 
Vinzenz Lesa toward Bulle, near his paternal 
home. Mr. Delrick and Mrs. Lesa, with the 
three children, journeyed toward Lausanne on 
the lake of Geneva. Here they spent the night 
in order to arrive home as soon as possible the 
next morning. 

On the evening of the following day Vinzi 

went upstairs with his mother. When they came 

292 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


to his little room, he said to her. “ Oh, mother, 
it is so lovely to be at home again; won’t you 
please come in and say good-night to me the way 
you used to do? ” 

Before going to bed that night Stefeli had run 
outside, as if looking for some one. She found 
Mr. Delrick sitting on the bench as usual, just as 
she had expected. 

“ When you go to the mountain, Mr. Delrick, 
will you give somebody a message from me? ” 
she inquired, as soon as she had joined him. 

After expressing his readiness to do so, Stefeli 
went on: “Won’t you please tell Uncle Lorenz 
that Jos mustn’t go home yet. He promised to 
leave him here till father sends him away, and I 
know that he’ll never do that.” 

Mr. Delrick promised faithfully to deliver 
her message. He could not help smiling to him¬ 
self when he remembered how similar were the 
three messages he was asked to take. Mr. Lesa 
had begged his cousin Lorenz to leave Jos with 
him, if possible, as he could hardly live without 
the boy. A few moments later Jos had appeared, 
very anxious to let his father know that he could 
not yet come home. So much had still to be done 

before the winter, and then spring would be here 

293 


VINZI 


again. This year’s work could barely be finished 
before next year’s labors would begin. His 
Uncle Vinzenz should really not be left alone, for 
it was settled now that Vinzi would stay away for 
good. Mr. Delrick said to himself with a smile 
that Cousin Lorenz would not be able to gainsay 
this threefold request, especially against his own 
firm promise. 

Mrs. Lesa went into Vinzi’s room and sat 
down on his bed. This vividly brought back to 
her the dreadful evening before he had departed 
for the Simplon. It was the first time Vinzi had 
been left alone with his mother since his return. 
He began to pour out his heart to her and told 
her all about his life in Dresden. He had not 
written, because his father had said that it was no 
good. He could not relate enough of Mr. 
Delrick’s fatherly kindness to him in every way. 
Vinzi was allowed to study many things, espe¬ 
cially music. One splendid teacher taught him 
to play the organ and the other gave him instruc¬ 
tions in the laws of music. From the latter he 

* 

had learned to understand these and all their 
marvels. This lesson had been a great joy to 
him and he had been impatient for it every time. 

“ But my organ lesson was better yet,” Vinzi 

294 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


added. “ Oh, mother, I never realized one could 
look forward so much to anything. It was always 
like a great feast to me.” 

With boundless happiness the mother looked 
at the radiant eyes of her boy. “ And isn’t it part 
of your happiness, Vinzi, to live with Mr. 
Delrick? It must be wonderful to belong to his 
home and be with him so much! ” she inquired. 

“ Yes, and not a small part of it either,” he 
cried out. “ I am glad you know him, otherwise 
you could have no idea how kind, affectionate 
and helpful he is. Everybody in his house is good 
to me, too, for his sake. Mrs. Wyneken, his 
housekeeper, who has charge of everything, is as 
kind to me as if she were my grandmother. 
Frederick the butler, and Minnie, the maid, both 
wait on me and won’t let me do anything for 
myself. It is mostly because they all love to hear 
me play the organ. Mrs. Wyneken says that 
Mr. Delrick has grown happy again since I play 
it. He had lost every one in the world he loved 
and had been very sad. He has a little organ in 
a large room downstairs. Mr. Delrick asks me 
to play it for him every night. Sometimes we 
can hardly stop. Now you know what my life 
in Dresden is like. But I cannot say how much 

295 


VINZI 


I look forward to my little hayloft on the 
mountain under the stars.” 

“ Vinzi,” said the mother, “ do you ever thank 
God for all the blessings He has heaped upon 
you. Do you realize that it is He who has given 
you everything? ” 

“ Yes, I do, mother,” he replied, looking 
frankly into her eyes. “ I never forget how 
frightened and troubled I often was. Sometimes 
we sing one of the songs you taught me in the 
evening, but I sing them quite differently now. 
I used only to enjoy the tune, but now I thank 
and praise God from the bottom of my heart.” 

“ If you should ever get into a difficult 
position, Vinzi,” the mother concluded, “ you 
must remember that God often means to work 
out our good when we fear evil. When I sat on 
this bed before you went away the first time, I 
should in my shortsightedness have done every¬ 
thing to keep you home. And just think! 
That journey proved the beginning of your 
great happiness.” 

Vinzi had listened attentively. “ It was the 
same with me,” he said. “ I thought it was the 

most dreadful thing that could happen to me and 

296 


THE OLD SONG ONCE MORE 


it proved just the opposite. I’ll always remember 
that, mother.’’ 

When the mother left Yinzi’s chamber after 
a hearty good-night, her heart was filled with 
gratitude and bliss. Folding her hands she sent 
up a heartfelt prayer of thanks to Heaven. 

What blessings God had sent to her and her 
household. Her boy’s inmost wish had been ful¬ 
filled and his future lay clearly before him. The 
father was not only satisfied, but actually 
pleased. He did not despise his Vinzi any more, 
because he realized that he could be truly proud 
of the boy and he showed it quite openly in the 
way he looked at him. 

Vinzi had been away a long while and had 
lived in totally different surroundings. He had 
learned a great deal, but had remained just as 
affectionate and simple as w T hen he had gone 
away. This made his mother extremely happy, 
and she sent a fervent prayer to God to keep 
him pious and childlike upon all the paths of 
his coming life. 


The End 















